Bushfires burning out of control in two Australian states destroyed homes and forced hundreds of holidaymakers to evacuate a major alpine resort today
The southern state of Victoria said it was facing one of the worst emergencies in its fire-ravaged history as blazes in the southeastern Australian alps crossed borders, forcing evacuations from the winter ski resort village of Thredbo in New South Wales.
As temperatures soared to near 40 Celsius, Victorian authorities continued to fight fires which destroyed eight homes overnight and threatened a dozen more communities.
Bushfires, most sparked by lightning, have blackened more than 1.1 million hectares of Victoria since late November.
Fires cut power yesterday to Melbourne, the Victorian capital, and one blaze swept into the hamlet of Toombullup, levelling at least seven homes. Another house was lost in rugged mountains west of Melbourne, Australia's second largest city with a population of about four million.
Authorities said the ferocity of the blaze had been whipped up by extremely hot, dry conditions and strong winds.
Environment Department spokesman Pat Groenhout warned that worse lay ahead. "We've had four new fires started as a consequence of a band of lightning which moved through the state overnight," he said.
Australia sought help on Monday from US firefighters, who will join volunteers from Canada and New Zealand helping battle firestorms fuelled by higher temperatures and global warming.
Australia faces extreme fire danger this summer because of severe drought. Bushfires, a regular feature of the summer, have killed more than 250 people over the past 40 years.