At least 20 houses destroyed in Australian fires

AUSTRALIA: Flames tore through 20 houses and led to the death of a homeowner as bushfires raging across three Australian states began overrunning country hamlets, sending residents fleeing, officials said Friday.

Thousands of exhausted firefighters battling dozens of blazes in the southeastern Victoria state on Thursday had their worst day since the fires, which have burned an area twice the size of Luxembourg, erupted two weeks ago.

"It was a devastating day with terrible losses," said Department of Sustainability and Environment (DES) fire management spokesman Duncan Pendrigh as cooler weather Friday gave firefighters a much-needed break.

At least 16 houses were destroyed Thursday in a blaze that authorities believe may have been deliberately started by teenagers. At least a dozen bushfires have scorched over 5,000 square kilometers (2,000 square miles) of Victoria in the past fortnight, razing at least 22 homes and a popular ski lodge.

SYDNEY, Friday, AFP