Bushfires have razed hundreds of buildings across southeast Australia, authorities said Sunday, as they confirmed the first death from the disaster. Temperatures soared past 40C as a heatwave blanketed the state of Victoria, sparking dozens of blazes that ripped through more than 300,000 hectares (740,000 acres) combined. Fire crews tallied the damage as conditions eased on Sunday.
A day earlier, authorities had declared a state of disaster. Emergency Management Commissioner Tim Wiebusch said over 300 buildings had burned to the ground, a figure that includes sheds and other structures on rural properties. More than 70 houses had been destroyed, he said, alongside huge swathes of farming land and native forest.
“We’re starting to see some of our conditions ease,” he told reporters. “And that means firefighters are able to start getting on top of some of the fires that we still have in our landscape.” Police said one person had died in a bushfire near the town of Longwood, about two hours’ drive north of state capital Melbourne. “This really takes all the wind out of our sails,” said Chris Hardman from Forest Fire Management Victoria. “We really feel for the local community there and the family, friends and loved ones of the person that is deceased,” he told national broadcaster ABC.
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