Fed: Christmas Island detention centre fire but no crisis: PM
Four Australian detention centres are smouldering today from deliberately-lit fireswhich will cost taxpayers more than $8 million.
But Prime Minister JOHN HOWARD denies there is a crisis.
After an overnight fire at the Woomera centre in South Australia's outback, the protestsspread to the Christmas Island detention centre late today.
The Immigration Department says detainees armed with pipes set fire to the island centre'sdining hall and took over a compound.
A spokeswoman says a stand-off between detention staff and detainees ended after talksbetween the two sides about 2000 AEDT.
She says the detainees have returned to their compound and all is quiet but the dininghall has been gutted.
The blaze followed fires at detention centres at Baxter in South Australia and PortHedland in Western Australia in past days which have caused a total damage bill of morethan $8 million.
Overnight, detainees at Woomera attacked guards trying to extinguish fires which causedmore than $2.5 million damage.
AAP RTV sl/jnb/sb/wz
KEYWORD: DETENTION (ADELAIDE)
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