Arrests mount as stunned Sydney burns

Smoke, indicated by red arrows, seen from a satellite above Australia's south-east coast.

SYDNEY, Australia -- Wildfires which continue to burn out of control and wreak havoc across Australia's most populous state are expected to rage on until next week due to erratic and hot winds.

As Australia's east coast grappled with the inferno and its impact, authorities arrested two more teenagers Friday, both suspected of starting the fires that have burned for nearly two weeks in New South Wales.

The arrests of a 14-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl brought the number of suspects to 23, including 15 juveniles.

Firefighters and weather forecasters meanwhile predicted that the blazes, which have destroyed more than 500,000 hectares of lands and 170 homes, could still be burning next week.

"It remains a menace. I think these fires have been the most protracted I can remember in my lifetime," said Prime Minister John Howard.

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About 100 blazes were burning around Sydney and throughout New South Wales.

Massive smoke clouds generated by the fires have soared high into the sky and reached New Zealand, 1,400 miles east across the Tasman Sea.

Temperatures have dropped from their searing levels of recent days, giving firefighters a respite.

But unpredictable weather conditions continue to hamper their efforts to contain the fires.

Inferno rages on

The largest fire has scorched about 160,000 acres of bone-dry forest and farmland near Singleton, 80 miles northwest of Sydney.

Another wildfire has isolated the coastal town of Bendalong, about 120 miles south of Sydney, where hundreds of people have camped out on a beach away from burning vegetation.

Raging flames and thick smoke have also cut off the only road to Bendalong, where some residents and vacationers have been evacuated by boats.

Meanwhile, a fast-moving fire front, 37 miles long, was burning in the heavily forested Blue Mountains, about 50 miles west of Sydney.

Dozens of residents were leaving the tiny town of Bowen Mountain.

Residents were also being asked to evacuate parts of the Hawkesbury district on Sydney's northern outskirts.

Arsonists to meet victims

Meteorologists said southern-hemisphere summer temperatures had dropped to around 78 degrees after climbing above 100 degrees earlier this week.

Officials say almost half of the fires have been set deliberately, and the New South Wales government has promised to punish arsonists, including youth.

"Any youngster nabbed lighting a fire will not get off with a warning from a judge," state Premier Bob Carr told the Associated Press news agency.

He said arsonists who are not sent to juvenile institutions would be required to meet burn victims and people who have suffered because of the fires.

"I think it would be so traumatic ... they would never do it again," Carr said.

About 20,000 firefighters from around Australia have been deployed across New South Wales.

Officials said hundreds who have come from neighboring Victoria state would soon be recalled home amid fears that fires could soon break out there as well.

No deaths have been recorded since the "Black Christmas" fires started on Christmas Eve.

On Thursday, some 14 firefighters were saved from being the first casualties when a helicopter dumped thousands of gallons of water on an advancing wall of flames in the Blue Mountains.