The authorities in the Australian state of New South Wales say that they fear high winds will spread the bushfires that have been raging for days on the outskirts of Sydney. The winds are forecast for the weekend.
A fund has been set up to help those who have lost their properties. Inspector Bob Brown of the New South Wales Fire Department said that severe weather was making the task of controlling the fires even harder.
Earlier, the Australian Prime Minister, John Howard, expressed dismay that some of the bushfires were started deliberately. Police have formed a special task force headed by a senior officer to find those responsible. There are more than 100 fires in eastern areas of the state of New South Wales.
Meanwhile, Australian firefighters are bracing themselves for a wind change that may bring further property losses today. The major areas of concern are the southern Sydney suburbs where thousands of residents were evacuated overnight.
It is estimated that more than 150 homes have so far been destroyed, while nearly 12,000 have been left without power. The fires are considered the worst since 1994 when four people were killed and 185 homes destroyed around Sydney.
