Death toll rises in Australian bushfires, authorities alarmed at scale of fires
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Australian authorities say a fourth person has died in a week of massive bushfires on the nation’s east coast.
The 58-year-old man’s body was found in northern New South Wales (NSW) on Thursday, days after a fire ripped through the region.
Crews are still battling over 120 fires in NSW and Queensland, but locals in Western Australia have now been warned of extremely dangerous conditions.
Police charged a 16-year-old boy with deliberately starting a damaging fire.
A view of burnt property at Possum Brush, New South Wales, Australia, 12 November 2019 (issued 14 November 2019). Parts of New South Wales face catastrophic bushfire danger on Tuesday, with residents in bushland areas told to leave early rather than wait for fresh fires to start. EPA-EFE/DARREN PATEMAN
The alleged arson had destroyed 14 homes around the town of Yeppoon, 650km (400 miles) north of Brisbane, Queensland Police said.
Fire chiefs have warned the worst of the summer is “still ahead of us”, after expressing alarm at the scale and severity of the spring bushfires.
A National Parks and Wildlife crew retreats to a roadblock as the Hillville fire burns along Bullocky Way, Possum Brush, south of Taree, New South Wales, Australia, 12 November 2019 (issued 14 November 2019).EPA-EFE/DARREN PATEMAN
In Queensland, crews are working to contain over 70 fires. Thousands of residents were warned to leave or defend their homes when blazes escalated on Wednesday, prompting emergency warnings.
