Australia bushfires level homes, force evacuations

CANBERRA, Jan 17 (Reuters) Bushfires destroyed homes and forced evacuation of a major Australian mountain resort today as one state said it was facing one of the worst emergencies in its fire-ravaged history.

Blazes in the southeastern Australian alps crossed state borders, forcing the evacuation of the village of Thredbo in New South Wales, a winter ski resort 150 km south of the nation's capital, Canberra.

As temperatures soared to near 40 Celsius , authorities in the southern state of Victoria continued to fight blazes which destroyed eight homes overnight and threatened a dozen more communities.

''It just sends shivers up your spine, because we all saw how bad yesterday was,'' said Victorian Premier Steve Bracks.

''I think it will go down as one of our worst bushfire episodes in Victoria ever, and that's a big statement. It is going to go on and it is going to get worse.'' Bushfires, most sparked by lightning, have blackened more than 4,000 square miles of Victoria since late November, while blazes have also struck four other states.

Fires cut power yesterday to Melbourne, the Victorian capital, and one blaze swept into the hamlet of Toombullup, levelling at least seven homes. Another house was lost in rugged mountains west of Melbourne, Australia's second largest city with a population of about four million.

''It was terrifying. The fire swept up from the ground and into the eaves,'' said Toombullup resident David Heffer.

Authorities said the ferocity of the blaze had been whipped up by extremely hot, dry conditions and strong winds.

Australia sought help on Monday from US firefighters, who will join volunteers from Canada and New Zealand helping battle firestorms fuelled by higher temperatures and global warming.

The Victorian blazes caused major power outages in Melbourne, plunging hospitals into darkness and causing road chaos on a day on which power demand hit a new record peak of 8,950 megawatts.

Environment Department spokesman Pat Groenhout told local media that worse lay ahead.

''We've had four new fires started as a consequence of a band of lightning which moved through the state overnight,'' he said.'' Australia faces extreme fire danger this summer because of severe drought. Bushfires, a regular feature of the summer, have killed more than 250 people over the past 40 years.

Reuters BDP GC1055