An inquiry has been ordered into how bush fires destroyed over 400 homes and killed four people in the Australian captial Canberra at the weekend.
The Australian government sanctioned the inquiry into what was one of Australia's worst natural disasters - but said the first priority was making sure no more houses were destroyed.
Residents in northern Canberra were on high alert today as the fires advanced on their homes. Police told some residents of the suburb of Dunlop to pack valuables into their cars in preparation to flee.
Fire officials said the blaze north of the city of 320,000 was burning within firebreaks and did not pose an immediate threat - but stronger winds and higher temperatures tomorrow could sweep the flames towards Dunlop.
The police decision to give an early warning follows claims from angry residents who lost homes in Saturday's inferno that they had received conflicting advice, got no help from firefighters and had to battle walls of flames using buckets and garden hoses.
Mr John Stanhope, Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory, said the damage was expected to run into the hundreds of millions of dollars.
Smoke haze hung over Parliament, key government buildings and foreign embassies as bulldozers gouged fire breaks along the city's outskirts.
AP