Australia brush-fire claims reach a$70m. (Briefing).

Large commercial claims and more reported home losses boosted the estimated claims for a series of brush fires in southeast Australia to A$70 million (about US$36.6 million), an insurance group said.

The Insurance Disaster Response Organization, a coalition of insurers working under the auspices of the Insurance Council of Australia, said that as of Jan. 3, insurers had received about 2,000 claims related to the more than 100 brush fires that ravaged the state of New South Wales and virtually surrounded Sydney, the country's largest city.

Christopher Henri, national coordinator for the IDRO, said the number of claims is expected to go up, as more than 20,000 firefighters continue to battle the blazes under hot, dry weather conditions. "Insured losses from fires which have been ravaging New South Wales since before Christmas have now surpassed the A$56 million losses incurred in the 1994 brush fires," said Henri in a statement.

The IDRO estimates that 170 homes and 200 other buildings have been lost so far, as well as about 50 trailers, boats and motor vehicles.

NRMA Insurance, Australia's largest general insurer, said it had received 651 claims as of Dec. 30, 2001, including 288 claims related to damage to buildings or structures, 328 claims for home contents and 35 claims for damage to motor vehicles.