SYDNEY, Jan 1: Australia’s bushfire crisis moved into the suburbs of its biggest city on New Year’s Day, a large blaze in parklands in Sydney’s leafy north threatening 200 homes and forcing the evacuation of hundreds of people.

Sydney has been ringed by bushfires to its north, south and west since Christmas Day but Tuesday’s outbreak in the residential area of Pennant Hills, just 15kms to the famous Harbour Bridge, was the first to penetrate the suburbs.

The fire, which was still burning on Tuesday night, started suddenly in the early afternoon and spread quickly fanned by north-westerly winds gusting up to 80kms per hour.

“It was as hard as it gets,” said fire captain John Corry. “It has intense heat, high winds and lots of smoke.”

Firefighters pumped water from backyard swimming pools and helicopters scooped water from lakes at nearby golf courses to help put out the flames. “It came bloody close,” said resident Rob Neill, as firefighters doused cinders still burning around his house.—Reuters