SYDNEY, Oct 25 — Out-of-control bushfires have destroyed five houses and burned out 8,000 hectares of land in the eastern Australian state of Queensland, while the remains of a person were found in the state’s southeast, German news agency (dpa) reported.
At least one person has died in the flames in Queensland’s Western Downs region, police said on Wednesday.
The body of a man was discovered on a rural property on Tuesday night, but has not yet been identified, Queensland police said. It’s feared the remains could be those of a missing local man.
More than 200 people had fled their homes to evacuation centres, many losing all their belongings, the AAP news agency reported, citing Western Downs Region Mayor Paul McVeigh. He said it was not clear how many homes have been affected.
“At the moment, the official number is five, but unfortunately we know that number will rise in the face of such a fierce fire.”
Many firefighters are completely exhausted, McVeigh said. Fighting the various fires is extremely difficult, he said, because the wind is constantly shifting and the flames are sometimes 15 metres high.
Smaller towns such as Tara, Kogan, Millmerran and Wieambilla were particularly badly affected. In the past few days, authorities had urged citizens to seek safety. It was still not safe for them to return to their homes, the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) said.
Currently, 53 bushfires are burning in Queensland. Due to high temperatures and strong winds, the authorities do not expect the situation to ease in the coming days. According to meteorologists, it will not cool down until the weekend.
Some storms are expected, which may bring rain and ease conditions. However, a QFES spokesman warned that there is a risk of dry lightning-strikes starting more fires.
— Bernama -dpa
