Australia crews make firebreaks to beat flames

Crews battling Australia's wildfires said on Sunday that they have been able to turn from defense to offense for the first time in weeks thanks to a break in the weather. With bulldozers and cans of liquid fuel, firefighters are carving and burning long cordons or "breaks" designed to deny kindling for massive wildfires that have ravaged Australia for weeks.

The weather is expected to remain benign for the next week although any deterioration in conditions after that could see the wildfires flare up again. The tragedy brings the death toll to at least 27 in a crisis that has destroyed more than 2,000 homes and scorched an area larger than the U.S. state of Indiana since September. Four of the casualties have been firefighters.