Sydney engulfed in smoke as bush fires blaze

Thick smoke billowed over Australia’s largest city today as forest fires raged in and around Sydney, stretching a 20,000-strong firefighting force to its limit and threatening hundreds of homes.

‘‘It is about as bad a picture as you could conjure up,’’ said Phil Koperberg, New South Wales’ state fire chief.

A fire storm, thought to have been started by an arsonist, was burning through a national park in suburban Sydney. It came within 11 miles of the downtown area, where light white ash fell on office blocks and the smell of smoke permeated air conditioning systems.

Fire fronts were burning north, south and west of the city of four million over a total of more than 1,200 miles.

The situation was set to worsen later today with forecasts of southern hemisphere summer temperatures as high as 38 degrees Celsius (100F) and dry Outback wind gusts.

The humidity level was expected to drop below 5%, the lowest recorded in 50 years.

‘‘It is going to be tough day for New South Wales and an even tougher day for the firefighters,’’ said Koperberg. ‘‘I have never seen anything like in my 32 years of service.’’

Along with the appalling weather, firebugs have been blamed for the 10-day emergency that has destroyed 150 homes and forced thousands of evacuations across New South Wales.

More than half the 100 ‘‘black Christmas’’ fires burning since December 24 have been lit deliberately, police said. Police said they had arrested 20 suspects, including 14 children, and were searching for others. The six adult suspects face a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison if convicted of arson.

‘‘We know who the arsonists are. It’s a matter of getting the evidence and making it stick and putting them away for a very long time,’’ said New South Wales Premier Bob Carr.

Police were hunting a man who they say started a massive fire yesterday that raced down a corridor of tinder-dry parkland through several affluent Sydney suburbs.

The fast-moving fire in the Lane Cove National Park was the closest flames have come to the heart of Australia’s largest city. Officials said more than 250 homes had been saved and the downtown area was not in danger.

The same area was scorched when a near identical crisis erupted eight years ago, when four people were killed and hundreds of homes destroyed or damaged.

In a desperate battle to bring the Sydney fire under control, hundreds of firefighters filled buckets from suburban swimming pools.

Helicopters dumped water as 60ft flames spewed clouds of thick, black smoke and came within feet of homes.

Overnight, as winds dropped and the blaze eased, fire crews worked hard to build firebreaks to protect neighbouring suburbs.

But by this morning, hot westerly winds regained their strength and whipped the flames. Red hot embers were blown into the air to start new spot fires.

Anxious residents did what they could to save their property and packed valuables in case they were ordered to evacuate. Dozens of roads were closed in the emergency.

‘‘We’ve got a garden sprinkler on the roof and all the downpipes are filled up with water. We’re just hosing down everything making sure everything is nice and wet,’’ said Deborah Bear, a resident of the threatened suburb of Pymble. Scores of others left their homes after officials called for calm.

It was reported that detectives were trying to trace a mobile phone used by the arson suspect.

Elsewhere, scores of blazes were burning out of control, many just around Sydney.

Flames jumped containment lines that had been set up by mainly volunteer firefighters over the weekend.

While there have been no casualties from the blazes, the fires have blackened 741,000 acres of forest and farmland.