Australia Battles 140 Bushfires

One fire in central-west New South Wales burned about 4,000 acres of land and came within three miles of some townships. Residents whose properties were endangered by the blaze were grateful the rural fire service was quick to respond.

[Resident]:
"It came within about three hundred meters and they did a great job fending it off, which was great. Yeah, and luckily the wind changed, which helped.

Around 60 of the blazes in New South Wales were contained by creating firebreaks or containment lines this weekend when they came close to townships or properties. But residents are not letting down their guard.

Authorities utilized 74 firefighting aircraft, more than 100 pieces of ground equipment, and a newly arrived air crane from the U.S., named Isabelle. Isabelle can carry 2,400 gallons of water and reach inaccessible areas.

The blazes reached the outskirts of Sydney, where temperatures rose to over 106 degrees Fahrenheit.

Flames hampered traffic in a motorway, and residents hosed areas near their homes. Many were worried about the extreme dryness and heat and being close to a large bush land reserve.

[Resident]:
"Quite a lot of properties around here and as you can see quite a bit of reserve, its pretty dry at the moment."

Temperatures are now expected to go down to the 70s in Sydney for the next couple of days.

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