Residents battle forest fires on Australia's east coast

Oct 19, 2009, 6:40 GMT

   Sydney - Householders in Rockhampton on Australia's east coast were Monday warned to leave or prepare to fight the forest fires bearing down on them.

   Up to 200 houses are at risk as high winds drive the flames closer to outlying suburbs of the Queensland city.

   Queensland Fire and Rescue Service Assistant Commissioner Neil Gallant said fires, which have been raging for weeks, had arrived at the urban fringe.

   'If you live in those areas and your home backs on to forest areas, you need to be prepared now to enact your bushfire plan and you need to be ready to evacuate your home if the fire front arrives,' he said. 'We'll be looking at protecting each house, each street, as need be.'

   Forest fires are an annual occurrence in Australia during the Southern Hemisphere summer months. Firefighters are mostly volunteers backed by professionals with water-bombing aircraft and heavy equipment to gouge out trenches and retard the progress of the fires.

   Queensland Emergency Services Minister Neil Roberts said 67 firefighters and paramedics had begun arriving from neighbouring New South Wales state - the biggest ever fire-related influx in Queensland.

   One firefighter has died tackling the blazes and thousands of hectares of pasture have been burnt.