BREAKING NEWS Australia: 86 dead in fires 08 February

Australia: 86 dead in fires
World 08 February 11:42

76 people have so far died in forest fires that affected southern Australia. According to news agency AP, it is the worst fire disaster ever to hit the island. Around 700 houses have been destroyed and over 4000 people evacuated.

Accompanying the flames is one of the most powerful heat waves in memory, with temperatures in parts of Melbourne reaching 48 degrees Celsius (118 degrees Fahrenheit) in the last few weeks. Dozens of heat-related deaths have been reported.

By Sunday, the temperatures had dropped to the mid-20s in the area.


The fires were being fought mostly with aircraft, except in areas where homes were at risk, authorities said.

In northern Australia, 60 percent of the state of Queensland was flooded, officials reported, and residents were warned to be on the lookout for crocodiles in urban areas.

Still, despite earlier reports, the fires have not posed a significant threat to more populous areas, including Melbourne, as they sweep across rural outskirts of southeastern Australia, Walshe said.

By Sunday afternoon, eight major fires were burning through Victoria, destroying hundreds of thousands of acres, said Daniel Connell, spokesman for the state's Country Fire Authority. The largest blaze has centered around Kinglake, where 100,000 hectares (247,000 acres) have burned down.

Another fire ravaged 90,000 hectares in Churchill, about 160 km (100 miles) southeast of Melbourne.

In Victoria, 30 blazes were registered in 30 hours, said Fran Ludgate with the Fire Protection Association

The New South Wales Rural Fire Service asked residents to remain indoors and close all windows, as winds continued to push smoke from the bush into the Sydney metropolitan area.

Sue McMahon thought she could stay in her home as wildfires burned, but changed her mind after taking a look at the blackening sky in Victoria