Bush fires close in on Australian capital

A state of emergency has been declared in the Australian capital Canberra as out-of-control bush fires closed to within five miles of the city's suburbs.

Chief Minister Jon Stanhope declared a state of emergency for the entire Australian Capital Territory area, which includes Canberra and its surrounding suburbs.

Thousands of firefighters and soldiers are fighting other fires threatening homes in Sydney and mountain regions in the country's southeast, which are described as the worst to hit some regions in 50 years.

"It acknowledges the seriousness of the emergency that we are facing and it allows all of our emergency authorities, including the police, to take, if they need to, a whole range of emergency steps," Stanhope said.