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The official State of Alert has been lifted in the ACT as rainfall and cooler weather dampened the Orroral Valley fire. ACT Minister Mick Gentleman said this would "offer relief for all Canberrans". ACT Emergency Services Agency commissioner Georgeina Whelan said patches of fire were still burning but within a perimeter which contained it. She said that "this will allow Canberra to return to a sense of normality". "Our teams have achieved what I would call an outstanding result to date," she said. She was expecting 60 to 90 millimetres of rain in the next three days, and that would continue dousing the fire. The end of the official "state of alert" means that she loses her powers to co-opt other parts of the ACT Government for emergency duty. It also cuts her power to call in other fire-fighters from outside the ACT. The fire had burned about 86,500 hectares. She said the fires in New South Wales to the west, south and east of Canberra were being controlled or already under control. Ms Whelan said rapid assessment teams were working to assess the damage to ecological and heritage sites in the Namadgi National Park. Chief Minister Andrew Barr said, "With the State of Alert now lifted, the community can look forward to a greater sense of normality. "We are forming a clearer picture of the impact of this summer of disasters and have already started efforts to support households and businesses to recover. "The impact of extended periods of poor air quality, as well as the travel ban from China, will be felt by many local businesses and organisations for some time." READ MORE:

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