People ‘Fleeing For Lives’ in Australian Fires

SYDNEY : People ‘Fleeing For Lives’ in Australian Fires, Residents were ‘fleeing for their lives’ on Wednesday as wildfires burned out of control in South Australia, a witness said, as the state endured catastrophic fire conditions.

Less than a year after 173 people lost their lives in the Black Saturday fires in neighbouring Victoria state, a large fire burning outside Port Lincoln had already destroyed two buildings, officials said.

One resident, named Ray, told ABC radio he expected his house to be gone as when he was fleeing his house there were “flames above the roof.”

He added: “I’d just like to say to people who are out there on the roads and blocking the roads, people like me are fleeing for our lives.”

The Country Fire Service said the fire was about two kilometres (1.24 miles) outside of Port Lincoln and extremely dangerous.

It warned people in the area to take shelter in a solid structure immediately and to stay off the roads.

“You should not attempt to leave or enter this area as the roads will not be safe,” it said in a warning.

Another Port Lincoln resident, identified only as Jeff, told the ABC he could see “exploding big flames” streaming from the fire, adding that “some of them look to be at least 100-foot high.”

Firefighters are also battling another dangerous fire near the South Australian town of Kingston in the state’s southeast, as temperatures topped 40 degrees Celsius (104 F) in the largely desert state.

Meanwhile residents began cleaning up the small communities in Western Australia’s Pilbara region on Wednesday after tropical Cyclone Laurence swept through, flattening buildings and uprooting trees.

The cyclone was sweeping eastward across the state but had been downgraded to a Category 1 storm — the lowest rating — and was expected to weaken further as it heads inland, officials said.

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People ‘Fleeing For Lives’ in Australian Fires was first posted on December 23, 2009 at 4:52 pm.

American Airlines Crash in Jamaica Update

KINGSTON : American Airlines Crash in Jamaica Update, The American Airlines crash landing at Kingston’s international airport injured 91 people, the country’s Information Minister Daryl Vaz said Wednesday.

None of the injuries were deemed critical and Vaz said most had been released from hospital.

“The majority of injuries are broken bones and of course cuts and bruises and badly shaken up,” Vaz said in the report on CNN’s website.

American Airlines Flight 331, carrying 148 passengers and six crew members, overshot the runway late Tuesday at Kingston’s Norman Manley International Airport as it landed in heavy rain.

One of the jet’s engines broke off, part of its landing gear fell apart and the aircraft body was cracked in the accident, officials said.

The airport was immediately closed and all other flights were diverted to Montego Bay, on the western end of the island.

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American Airlines Crash in Jamaica Update was first posted on December 23, 2009 at 5:14 pm.