Wildfires destroy 40 homes and kill a firefighter in Australia
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A firefighter has died while battling fires that destroyed nearly 40 homes in two Australian states, authorities said Monday.
The 59-year-old man died Sunday night after being hit by a falling tree while fighting a forest fire. New South Wales The town of Bulahdelah leveled 3,500 hectares (8,650 acres) of forest and destroyed four homes over the weekend, Rural Fire Commissioner Trent Curtin said.
The man could not be resuscitated. Firefighters are expected to battle the blaze for days, Curtin said.
There were 52 bushfires in New South Wales on Monday, with nine out of control. Curtin said a total of 20 homes were destroyed in this state over the weekend.
In island state TasmaniaLocal government official Dick Shaw told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. that 19 houses were destroyed in the weekend bushfire in the Dolphin Sands coastal area.
The fire was brought under control Monday, but the road to the community remains closed and it is not yet safe for residents to return to their homes, Shaw said.
