Massive Australian Bush Fire Destroys Homes

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) -- Hundreds of people began sifting through the charred remains of their homes in Australia's capital on Sunday, after the worst wildfires in the city's history swept through suburbs, killing four people and forcing thousands to evacuate. Nearly 400 houses were destroyed, officials said.

``I have been to a lot of bush fire scenes in Australia ... but this is by far the worst,'' Prime Minister John Howard said Sunday.

Hospitals treated about 250 people for burns and the effects of smoke from the fires, which swept into Canberra on Saturday.

Many were residents who battled flames with garden hoses and buckets filled from swimming pools. A number of them reported no fire crews in their burning neighborhoods.

``We saw a few fire trucks coming down the street. But I think they must have thought, 'That one's a lost cause' and carried on to another house,'' said Phil Bates, a carpenter.

Fire crews admitted they were overwhelmed by the magnitude of the flames, but John Stanhope, Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory, defended emergency services against charges they were ill-prepared.

``This was an event of such enormity, of such force and such devastating power that it simply ran over the top of us,'' he said.

Police said a 61-year old man died of smoke inhalation while trying to save his house, and an 83-year-old woman died in her home. A 37-year-old woman was found dead at her burned-out home along with an unidentified body.

Winds eased Sunday, and firefighters said blazes were under control. Workers bulldozed fire breaks around much of the city.

Scorched pine plantations formed a landscape of blackened and skeletal trees. A mist of fine ash blew through the streets and thick smoke hung over the city of about 320,000 people, surrounded by drought-hit farmland and tinder-dry forests.

More than 20 percent of the city was without power Sunday morning. Conditions were forecast to worsen Monday and Tuesday with temperatures and wind speeds picking up. No rain was forecast for the week.

Extra police patrolled the city after reports of looting and suspicions of arson, said Canberra police chief John Murray. One man was arrested and charged with stealing.

Most of the fires were sparked a week ago by lightning in a nearby national park. Strong, dry Outback winds and soaring temperatures in Canberra's outer suburbs triggered Saturday's havoc.

Howard interrupted his summer vacation to tour the fire-scorched suburbs, where residents described the speed of the fires.

``We just got a few precious things out and the family dog and within two minutes the house was just gone,'' Tony Walter told Howard. ``It just exploded.''

Damages were expected to run into hundreds of millions of dollars. Besides homes, the fires consumed medical centers, schools and thousands of acres of pine forests, said chief minister Stanhope.

Many firefighters lost their homes and possessions while fighting blazes elsewhere, he said. The Stromlo Observatory, a historic telescope and science center on a hill outside the city, was also destroyed.

People who lost their homes will be given $5,800 to buy emergency supplies and clothing, and the city will seek alternative housing.

More than 1,000 people were still in evacuation centers Sunday and people were warned not to return to their homes because of the danger of more fires and explosions caused by gas leaks.

The city also faced a looming environmental crisis: Its main sewage plant was damaged in the fire and was expected to overflow into a local river in about a day if it was not fixed.

Australia is in the grip of a yearlong drought that has left much of the countryside parched and vulnerable to fire. Once fires start, they roar through dry undergrowth and into oil-filled eucalyptus trees, creating infernos that are all but impossible to put out.