Heavy rain tumbled down around Sydney for the first time in more than two weeks yesterday, but it just wasn't enough to end Aus-tralia's longest-running wildfire crisis.
More than 1,500 people were evacuated from their homes when large flames threatened five coastal villages south of Sydney -- just hours after weary firefighters sang and danced in rain showers that tamed many other blazes west and north of the city of 4 million people.
There were hopes that the showers had signaled an end to the 15-day fire emergency, in which more than 100 blazes had burned out of control across Australia's most populous state.
"This rain is a godsend," said Joff Medder, one of 20,000 firefighters, many of them unpaid volunteers, who have been battling the fires across New South Wales state since Dec. 24.
However, no rain fell on a huge fire burning in the Shoalhaven area, 200km south of Sydney. In some areas, walls of flame burned to the edge of beaches, sending massive clouds of black smoke into the air. Evacuations were ordered from six villages after high temperatures and strong winds fanned flames within 1km of homes.
"The fire is moving in such a dramatic way that it's unsafe for firefighters to attempt back burning or anything like that," said John Winter, Rural Fire Services spokesman.
Officials said firefighters were preparing to engage in house-to-house battles against the oncoming fire front. Adding to the peril were erratic wind gusts that hampered helicopters from dumping water on the fast-moving fires.
Earlier yesterday, up to 4cm of rain fell, mainly in the Blue Mountains national park, 80km west of Sydney. Firefighters cheered and splashed about in puddles when the showers arrived.
"The rain has brought considerable relief to the firefighting effort," said fire chief Phil Koperberg. "But this rain will go. We will return to hot summer weather. The high temperatures will return, the winds will return."
RSS