Fire threat to Australia's Blue Mountains 'averted'

                      

Australian fire officials say the threat to the Blue Mountains west of Sydney "has been averted" for the day.  Residents should be able to return to their homes later on Wednesday, New South Wales Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said. But Mr Fitzsimmons warned that the crisis was not yet over and that fresh challenges lie ahead in the coming days.

In total, 71 fires are burning across the state, 29 of which are uncontained.  Fire officials had warned that Wednesday's combination of high temperatures, low humidity and strong winds could lead to more devastation. Hundreds of homes have already been destroyed as more than 3,000 firefighters battle to contain the bushfires in Australia's most populous state.