21/10/2013 10:36
Fears Australia blazes could merge
Wildfires in Australia's New South Wales could merge to form a massive blaze, the fire commissioner said, as teams continued to fight fires across the state, the BBC reported.
Three fires near Lithgow, a city by the Blue Mountains, are thought to be at risk of merging into one fire front.
NSW has been badly hit by bushfires after the hottest September on record. It has declared a state of emergency.
Officials say conditions are likely to worsen this week.
NSW Rural Fire Services Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said that the fire at State Mine in Lithgow was at risk of merging with the fire at Mount Victoria.
"Modelling indicates that there's every likelihood under the forecast weather conditions that these two fires, particularly up in the back end of the mountains will merge at some point... there is every likelihood that these two fires will join up," he said.
He added that in a "worst-case scenario" the fire could merge with a third fire at Springwood but said: "With the continued success of the fire-fighting effort, let's hope that it doesn't extend all that far eastward."