AlQa'dah 4, 1434, Sep 10, 2013, SPA -- Houses were lost and firefighters injured as forests in parched south-eastern Australia burst into flames Tuesday. More than 500 mostly volunteer personnel were tackling 40 blazes with 200 fire trucks in New South Wales, according to DPA. At Castlereagh, 70 kilometres west of Sydney, strong winds and temperatures above 30 degrees forced the Rural Fire Service to evacuate areas, close roads and prevent people from returning to fire-threatened homes. Rural Fire Service spokesman Anthony Clarke confirmed that two properties had been lost and that seven firefighters had been injured, five with smoke inhalation and two with burns.
