Wildfires blaze across Australia

1 firefighter killed, 7 injured

January 1, 1998
Web posted at: 11:03 p.m. EST (0403 GMT)

SYDNEY, Australia (CNN) -- One firefighter was killed and seven others were injured Thursday when they were caught in a raging wildfire near Sydney.

The crew members, trapped in their water tanker, were fighting one of nearly two dozen wildfires burning across New South Wales, Australia's most populous state. The blazes forced the evacuation of at least 2,000 vacationers at the height of Australia's summer tourist season.

In Western Australia, another fire was burning close to a toxic waste dump on the outskirts of Perth, while a blaze in Victoria state was burning out of control in Alpine National Park northeast of Melbourne. Hikers were being advised to leave.

The Australian summer fire season has already been one of the worst in years, and fire officials fear that conditions may deteriorate even further. Weather forecasts are calling for hot temperatures, high winds and lightning strikes.

Smoke and fire
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Winds were reportedly gusting to 70 mph (112 kph) in the Wingello State Forest about 60 miles (96 km) southwest of Sydney, where the tanker truck with eight firefighters on board was trapped.

"It appears that the local weather turned nasty, causing the blaze to behave erratically, and the crews were overcome," said Gilly Paxton, a spokeswoman for the Rural Fire Service.

In addition to the firefighter who died, at least four of the seven injured were reportedly hospitalized in critical condition.

The death brings to six the number of Australian firefighters killed in just the past month.

Related sites:

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• Fire History Information
• The International Fire Information Network

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