State of emergency declared in Oz capital

Canberra: The Australian capital region declared a state of emergency on Friday because of an out- of- control forest fire burning erratically to its south.

The threat is posed by a blaze on Canberrau2019s southern fringe that has razed more than 21,500 hectares ( 53,000 acres) since it was sparked by heat from a military helicopter landing light on Monday, the emergency services agency said.

The fire is burning at emergency level u2014 the highest on a three- tier scale of danger - and embers have created dangerous spot fires nearby, agency officials said.

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