Associated Press
SYDNEY, Australia — A thick blanket of white smoke shrouded Australia’s largest city today as thousands of firefighters battled to contain more than 100 wildfires.
Bush fires have raged around Sydney and other parts of New South Wales state for more than a week. On Saturday night, high temperatures and dry winds that have fanned the blazes eased temporarily and stars could be seen twinkling in the sky for the first time in days.
The fires have been burning across New South Wales for a week — about half of them set deliberately, authorities said. Five people have been arrested.
Officials said that temperatures could climb beyond 100 degrees Fahrenheit later today, heightening the fire threat.
The most dangerous fires are burning in the Blue Mountains national park 50 miles west of Sydney, and along the city’s southwest boundary.
More than 150 homes have been destroyed, more than 4,400 people evacuated and thousands of acres of forest and private land scorched. No deaths have been reported. Insurance officials estimate damages at more than $25 million.
Nearly 80 percent of the 40,000-acre Royal National Park in Sydney’s south has been blackened. It is the world’s second-oldest national park after Yellowstone.
Australia’s forests are dominated by eucalyptus and other oil-based trees that burn easily but regenerate quickly after fires.
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