At least one person has died and number of homes are burning in Australia's capital, Canberra, today as "firestorm" conditions broke out, pushing forest fires into the city's suburbs and pouring ash and smoke over parliament and the embassy district.
"No area of Canberra is immune from this emergency, everyone should be filling their bath tubs with water in case of spot fires," New South Wales Rural Fire brigade spokesman Mr Cameron Wade told Australian radio.
Fanned by temperatures of over 38 degrees Celcius and high winds, a fire burning in a national park south of the city moved into the capital's western suburbs, destroying dozens of homes and forcing the evacuation of thousands of the city's 300,000 residents.
The government of Canberra declared a state of emergency as thick smoke blocked out the sun and residents rushed home to hose down roofs and fight dozens of fires that have broken out from falling ash and embers. Power was out over much of the city.
The sprawling "bush capital" has been stricken by drought for months. While hundreds of foreign diplomats live in Canberra, parliament is not in session and the prime minister and most federal politicians are out of the capital for the summer.