News About Fires 19-NOV-09 en-us Sydney (AFP) Nov 17, 2009 - Australian officials issued their first ever "catastrophic" wildfire evacuation warning Tuesday, as a parching heatwave intensified over the country's south.]]> Sydney (AFP) Oct 20, 2009 - Concerned residents abandoned their homes and fled as wildfires closed in on hundreds of suburban properties in Australia's northeast, officials said, adding there was likely worse to come. ]]> Sydney (AFP) Oct 17, 2009 - Hundreds of firefighters on Saturday battled dozens of bush blazes across Australia which have left one dead and forced some residents to evacuate their homes.]]> Canberra, Australia (SPX) Sep 18, 2009 - The National Association of Forest Industries (NAFI) is urgently calling on the Australian Government to convene a national bushfire summit to build a framework for bushfire prevention and management in order to minimize the devastating effects of bushfires on rural communities, industries and economies, saying bushfire management is a matter of national security.]]> Rome (AFP) Sept 8, 2009 - Firefighters backed by water-dropping aircraft Tuesday battled a raging forest fire threatening the outskirts of the northern port city of Genoa, officials said.]]> Athens (AFP) Aug 25, 2009 - Firefighters claimed victory Tuesday over a huge wildfire that ravaged the outskirts of Athens over four days, destroying scores of homes and leading to fierce criticism of the government's response.]]> Athens (AFP) Aug 24, 2009 - The latest fires to ravage woodland around Athens are an ecological disaster which will affect the quality of life of the capital's 4.5 million residents for years, environmental experts said Monday.]]> Athens (AFP) Aug 22, 2009 - Firefighters on Saturday scrambled to prevent a huge forest fire that has raged for hours in the rural outskirts of Athens and threatened hundreds of homes from reaching the capital's northeastern district.]]> Lisbon (AFP) Aug 19, 2009 - Hundreds of firefighters battled raging wildfires in northern Portugal and Spain Wednesday, as the flames disrupted an international train route and sparked the evacuation of a village.]]> Melbourne (AFP) Aug 17, 2009 - An inquiry into Australia's worst wildfires said Monday that the disaster that claimed 173 lives in February showed residents should be encouraged to flee their homes as early as possible.]]>