Bush fires consume Australian homes

SYDNEY, Australia -- Bush fires, many set by arsonists, raged as close as 12 miles to Sydney on Friday after flames 20 feet high consumed more than 100 outlying homes.

Fire officials also warned that hot, dry, windy weather over the next few days could trigger a second wave of destruction along the 370-mile-wide fire front surrounding the city.

On Friday, helicopters dropped water on hot spots and more than 15,000 firefighters carved firebreaks through bush land.

Emergency controllers also mapped the rapidly moving fires with satellite imaging and infrared technologies.

"With the majority of fire unconfined and very little prospect of containment in the immediate future, we are looking at four very difficult days," said Phil Koperberg, the state's top firefighter.

A blanket of thick haze hung over Sydney, the capital of New South Wales state, as dozens of fires burned around its perimeter. Cars on the street were sprinkled with ash and the air smelled of smoke.

About 150 homes were destroyed by more than 100 fires burning across New South Wales state, where Sydney is located.

More than 4,400 people have been evacuated and thousands of acres of forest and farmland blackened. Insurance officials estimate damages at $25.4 million, so far.

There have been no human fatalities or serious injuries, said Koperberg, who heads the Rural Fire Service.

But thousands of animals -- including birds, koalas and kangaroos -- probably have died, wildlife officials said. Dozens of others have been rescued by firefighters and residents and sent to wildlife refuges.

Three teen-age boys and two men have been arrested for allegedly starting a number of blazes. Other arsonists remain at large, police said.