Five now held in relation to Sydney fires

Five people have now been arrested in connection with starting fires in the Sydney area.

Tearful residents salvaged what they could from their charred homes today as officials warned that the bush fires could burn out of control for days.

‘‘I watched my house disintegrate,’’ said Peter Philbrook, who lost everything in one fire in the tiny town of Warrimoo on Sydney’s western outskirts.

More than 4,400 people have been evacuated and at least 150 homes and thousands of acres of forest and farmland have been blackened by more than 100 fires, many of which have apparently been lit deliberately.

Three teenage boys and two men have been arrested for allegedly starting a number of blazes. Other arsonists may remain at large, police said. The maximum penalty for arson is 14 years in prison and as much as 25 years if any people are killed as a result.

The three boys, all 15, were arrested late yesterday in Shellharbour, some 60 miles south of Sydney, a police spokeswoman said today.

The boys were allegedly spotted lighting three bush fires by residents, who extinguished the flames with police help.

A blanket of thick white and brown haze hung over Sydney, Australia’s largest city and the capital of New South Wales state. Dozens of fires burned around its northern, southern and western perimeter.

Thousands of animals, including birds, koalas and kangaroos, have probably died, wildlife officials said.

Outback gales that have fanned the flames for the past week eased today. However, firefighters, who were trying to carve firebreaks through bush land, warned it would only be a temporary respite.

Helicopters dropped water on hotspots and more than 15,000 firefighters, most of them volunteers, were deployed.

They called for calm after meteorologists predicted strong dry winds, plummeting humidity and soaring temperatures would return to wreak havoc.

‘‘With the majority of fire uncontained and very little prospect of containment in the immediate future, we are looking at four very difficult days,’’ said Rural Fire Services Commissioner Phil Koperberg. ‘‘I do urge a very high level of calm during the next four or five days.’’

Koperberg, the state’s top firefighter, said that so far there have been no fatalities or serious injuries.

He called on residents in areas near forests to prepare for the worst. People should dress so their hands and heads are protected and should stay inside their homes, he said.

One of the worst affected regions is the Blue Mountains, a spectacular and rugged national park area that is punctuated by small towns linked by narrow and twisting roads.

Among them is Warrimoo, where seven homes were razed in one street alone two days ago.

Christin Stefferson said a high wall of flame raced through nearby eucalyptus trees and set fire to the home where she and her parents had been celebrating Christmas.

‘‘We all went into the living room and cowered on the floor to hide from the smoke. We didn’t have any chance to escape at that stage because it literally came within seconds,’’ she said.

The group ran out of the burning house and then drove away after the face of the wildfire moved on. They returned later to find the home in ruins.