"We hold grave fears for many more (and) can't be entirely sure we
have identified every single person in the fire ground," he said.
Australia's bushfires leave trail of death and destruction(Indian Express)
Fourteen bushfires burning across southern Australia
have killed two people, thousands of animals, and destroyed 16 homes,
and authorities on Thursday said they feared the toll could rise.
The
fires, which stretch across 210 kms (130 miles), broke out on Wednesday
in heatwave conditions and quickly burnt across farmlands, forcing
residents to flee and others to frantically try and save their homes and
livestock.
"It was just the intensity of the fire and the speed. We tried to put it out. You just couldn't put it out," farmer John Lush told Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
"We've
got a big machinery shed...and the (roof) gutters of that are 25 feet
(eight metres) off the ground and the flames were coming over the top of
that shed, so it was just horrific," said Lush.
A
56-year-old woman and a 69-year-old man died in separate fires.
Thirteen people are being treated in hospital and three people are
missing, said South Australia State Premier Jay Weatherill.
"Five
of those are either a in critical or serious condition with significant
burns. We know that one of those persons has burns to more than 80
percent on their body," said Weatherill.
"We hold grave fears for many more (and) can't be entirely sure we have identified every single person in the fire ground," he said.
Four people were killed in a series of wildfires sparked by lightning in Western Australia state last week.
Wildfires
are an annual summer event in Australia, but rising temperatures have
prompted some scientists to warn that climate change could increase the
length and intensity of the summer fire season. The Australian Bureau of
Meteorology declared October the hottest month on record.
While
residents who escaped the fires described their desperate attempts to
save their homes, one absent homeowner 3,000 kms (1,890 miles) north in
the city of Darwin used a smartphone to activate his irrigation system
to save his house.
"It's come up all around
the house but my ability to turn on irrigation systems from my phone in
Darwin and the fact that I had neighbours patrolling with fire units, I
think we're lucky we got away with a house," Simon Maddocks told Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Maddocks' 40 hectare (99 acre) wheat farm on the outskirts of the town of Hamley Bridge was completely burnt out.
Damage
reports suggest more than 85,000 hectares of farmland and bush have
been burnt by the fires, Weatherill said, with a significant livestock
lost, including more than 2,000 pigs.
Four hundred extra firefighters were due to arrive from interstate on Thursday to battle the blazes.
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