Bushfire claims one life in Australia’s Victoria, state of disaster declared

Victoria: A man has died, and a state of disaster has been declared amid the ongoing bushfire crisis in the southeast Australian state of Victoria.

Premier of Victoria Jacinta Allan said at a press conference that a man aged in his 60s was found deceased in his car near the town of Harcourt, 110 km northwest of Melbourne, on Friday afternoon.

His death was not directly related to the fires, Allan said, but occurred in close proximity to a fire ground, reports Xinhua news agency.

Three other people who were reported missing on Friday after their home near the town of Longwood, 120 km north of Melbourne, was destroyed by one of the most severe fires in the state have been found safe.

Local fire authorities said three firefighters have been injured while battling fires.

Allan said that 10 major fires were burning across Victoria as of Saturday morning, and another 20 were being closely monitored by authorities.

A total of 200 fires were burning across Victoria on Friday as temperatures exceeded 40 degrees Celsius, and Allan said on Saturday that authorities believe over 300,000 hectares of land have been burnt and 38,000 homes and businesses are without power.

Temperatures dropped on Saturday, but authorities have warned that strong winds will continue to cause fires to spread unpredictably.

Emergency management authorities said on Saturday that at least 120 structures across the state of Victoria have been destroyed by fires, and there have been significant livestock losses.

The state government has declared a state of disaster for 19 areas, allowing authorities to possess private property to respond to fires, control movement and compel evacuations.

IANS