The official death toll from the Feb. 7 blazes remains at 210, though officials expect it to climb higher as more remains are identified from the rubble. -- PHOTO: AP
MELBOURNE (Australia) - EMERGENCY officials warned residents in southern Australia that high temperatures, strong winds and lightning forecast for Friday could spark dangerous new flare-ups in the region's still-burning wildfires.
Victoria state Emergency Services Commissioner Bruce Esplin said that residents of southern Victoria - where wildfires earlier this month killed more than 200 - need to decide quickly whether to stay and defend their homes from the flames or flee to safer areas.
Schools close as Australia braces for resurgent wildfires
MELBOURNE - HUNDREDS of Australian schools and childcare centres will be closed on Friday because of a resurgent threat from wildfires that have already killed more than 200 people, officials said.
Thousands of children will be affected by the closures in southeast Victoria state, which is bracing itself for a deadly combination of searing temperatures, strong winds, and tinder-dry countryside.
'Don't leave it too late in the day when you can see fire. Make that decision very early and make it a very conservative decision,' Mr Esplin said.
Exhausted firefighters on Thursday were still working to contain four major blazes in Victoria.
Officials were increasingly worried that Friday's predicted temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius) combined with strong, erratic winds and lightning could send the flames out of control.
The official death toll from the Feb. 7 blazes remains at 210, though officials expect it to climb higher as more remains are identified from the rubble. On Wednesday, police said it could take another two weeks to conclude the search for dozens still missing.
The fires also destroyed 2,029 houses, leaving 7,500 homeless.
Meanwhile, Victoria police on Thursday arrested two 18-year-old men accused of stealing items from a fire-damaged home - the first arrests associated with suspected looting from the Feb. 7 blazes.
One man was charged with two counts of theft after police said he stole a mobile phone and electrical equipment. The other man was charged with handling stolen goods. Police did not release their identities. -- AP
