Fed: Firefighters bring ACT blaze under control

AAP General News (Australia)
12-29-2005
Fed: Firefighters bring ACT blaze under control

CANBERRA, Dec 29 AAP - Firefighters have brought under control a grassfire which damaged
up to four homes in the Canberra suburb of Yarralumla.

More than 20 fire units from the ACT and NSW and water-bombing helicopters are at the fire.

Believed to have started near the Old Canberra Brickworks just before 2pm (AEDT), it
was fanned by a a strong westerly wind.

Fire officers say the blaze has damaged three properties in Schomburgk (Schomburgk)
Street, which borders the brickworks site. Another home is believe to be smoke-damaged.

The acting chief officer of the ACT Fire Brigade, Chris Maguire, said the fire was now contained.

"The situation now is that the fire is well and truly contained," he told local ABC
Radio just before 4pm (AEDT).

"Basically, it has come through the reserve and pushed through a residential precinct
at the end of Schomburgk Street.

"We've had three residences there which have been damaged by fire, two quite severely
and a fourth residence which may have some smoke damage."

Units from the ACT Fire Brigade, the ACT Rural Fire Service and the NSW Fire Brigade
were called out.

Superintendent Conrad Barr, from the ACT Fire Brigade, said helicopters had been multi-rolled.

"We've used helicopters in the firefighting and we've used the helicopter as an aerial
command and observation point as well," he said.

The Bureau of Meteorology was forecasting a temperature of 32 degrees celsius in Canberra
today, with hot weather expected to continue tomorrow and over the weekend.

Mr Barr said it was too early to say how the fire might have started but authorities
were investigating.

The January 2003 Canberra bushfires destroyed ore than 400 homes and four people were killed.

AAP so/cjh/jlw

KEYWORD: BUSHFIRES ACT LEAD

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