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As strong winds and high temperatures continued into the morning of Saturday, January 18, residents in rural areas west and north-west of the city were told to prepare for the worst. Two fires continued to burn out of control in the Namadgi National Park, with the entire park, along with the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve being closed due to the threat. A second fire in the Brindabella Ranges was threatening to break containment lines.
In the early hours of the morning, a helicopter that had been waterbombing the fires crashed, and ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope, who was among those fighting the fires, was one of the rescuers.
Throughout the day, the fires burned closer and closer to the fringes of Canberra's suburbs, and there was still no sign of gaining control of the situation. By mid-afternoon, it had become apparent that the fires posed a immediate threat to houses on the city's urban limits, and a state of emergency had been declared. Residents of the suburb of Bonython were evacuated, and residents of sixteen more suburbs were placed on alert and advised to return home from work.
The blazes, which CNN described as a "firestorm", had reached Canberra by 4pm, by which time houses were alight in the suburbs of Duffy and Giralang , with the loss of a home in Holder soon after. In Duffy, firefighters had been forced to retreat, abandoning an entire block. Evacuation centres were set up at four schools - Phillip College, Ginninderra College, Erindale College and Narrabundah College. A dark cloud hung over the city, and though it was not in danger, Parliament House was closed. Parts of the city also lost power.
By 5pm, houses were reported destroyed in Duffy, Giralang, Holder and Rivett, as well as a school in Uriarra . Houses were also burning in Kambah and Uriarra, with some Holder residents being asked to evacuate. The Monaro Highway into Canberra was closed off, and more suburbs were reported to have lost power. Within an hour, houses were also burning in Torrens and Weston, as well as one suburban fire station. The Canberra Hospital, though it was relying on auxiliary power due to the blackout, faced increasing numbers of patients suffering from smoke inhalation and other fire-related illnesses.
The first casualty of the fires occurred in the mid-evening, as a result of smoke inhalation. The fires subsequently spread to the suburb of Curtin and Lyons , and residents of several suburbs were given the option of evacuating to Queanbeyan. The Emergency Services Bureau, based in Curtin, which was the centre of command for the firefighting operation, came under threat itself. The army, which has a significant presence in and around Canberra, was called in to provide support.
By 10pm, one of the four evacuation centres in Canberra was completely full, and others were filling up quickly. Reports of looting also began to arrive from the damaged areas. Both Prime Minister John Howard and then-Governor General Peter HollingworthThe Right Reverend Dr Peter Hollingworth (born April 10, 1935), Australian clergyman and 23rd Governor-General of Australia, became the first Governor-General to resign his office as a result of criticism of his conduct, when on 28 May 2003 he resigned fo changed their plans in order to return to Canberra as soon as was possible. While the very worst of the fires had passed, the situation was still far from stable, and going into Sunday January 19January 19 is the 19th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 346 days remaining (347 in leap years) Events 1419 Hundred Years' War: Rouen surrenders to Henry V of England which makes Normandy a part of England. 1764 John Wilkes is expelled, houses were still ablaze across numerous suburbs.