Officials said the fires were starting to be brought under control but that strong winds were hampering the effort.

An 82-strong French fire team arrived in Noumea, the capital of the French territory, along with 3.5 tonnes of equipment. Meanwhile two Australian water-bombing helicopters were in action to help douse the blazes.

"In Dumbea (on the outskirts of Noumea) the fire sites are still not under control and the wind is continuing to blow very hard," said New Caledonia's fire chief Philippe Orcese.

He said another major fire broke out Sunday in Bourail, around 170 kilometres (100 miles) north of Noumea. One of the Australian helicopters had been sent to battle that blaze, which was one-kilometre wide, he said.

The fires are believed to have already destroyed around 4,500 hectares (11,000 acres) of the tropical rainforests that surround Noumea. Ecological group WWF has warned of an "environmental disaster."

New Caledonia is located east of Australia, and contains about 25 percent of the world's known nickel reserves.

All rights reserved. � 2005 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.