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More Australian arsonists hunted Two quizzed over Australia fires
(about 5 hours later)
Australian officials suspect arsonists were responsible for starting fresh fires in Victoria, as a dozen bushfires continued to burn in the state. Police are questioning two people in relation to the bushfires in southern Australia that have killed at least 181 people and left 5,000 homeless.
State Premier John Brumby said he was aware of "several" fires being lit deliberately in the Beechworth area northeast of Melbourne late on Tuesday. Detectives had responded to a report of suspicious behaviour in a badly fire-hit area of Victoria state, they said.
More than 180 people have been killed in fires since Saturday. The investigations are in their initial stages, and police would not say if the two being questioned were suspects or in custody. Neither has been charged.
Bodies are still being retrieved, prompting police to bar residents from returning to some towns. At least two of the deadly fires were started deliberately, authorities say.
They said the sight of the burned bodies would be too distressing for residents. Firefighters are continuing to battle 21 blazes, and a massive police investigation is continuing into the worst bushfires in Australia's history amid fears the death-toll could still top 300.
See map of firesSee map of fires
Amid on-going firefighting plus a wide-scale investigation into the country's worst fire disaster, Mr Brumby said of the most recent outbreaks: "There seems little doubt that these were deliberately lit." With bodies still being retrieved from some charred towns, police have barred some residents from returning to their homes, saying the scenes would be too gruesome to bear.
Arson investigators said they had found six main sources of Saturday's fires. They had found one case of foul play near the town of Churchill, about 90 miles (140km) southeast of Melbourne, and a suspect was being sought.
Four other fire sources were not suspicious and one, the Marysville fire, was not yet determined, investigators said.
Difficult identificationDifficult identification
In Marysville, which remains cordoned off, Mr Brumby said 50 to 100 of the town's 500-odd residents could have been killed. Only eight have so far been confirmed dead. Victorian Police Commissioner Christine Nixon said arsonists were responsible for the fire that raged through the town of Churchill - about 90 miles (140km) southeast of Melbourne.Kinglake residents returned to find a town destroyed
"There are still deceased persons in homes," he said. Police, fire officials and soldiers had still not been able to identify and remove all bodies, he added. She added that it was possible the blaze in Marysville had been set deliberately, as there seemed to be no explanation for how it started.
The Bureau of Meteorology said the temperature on Saturday - the worst day for the fires - reached 46.4 Celsius in Melbourne, a hotter day than 13 January 1939, when bushfires killed 71 people.Kinglake residents returned to find a town destroyed Police were prepared to charge anyone suspected of starting one of the fatal bushfires with murder by arson, which carries a maximum 25-year jail penalty.
With cooler weather on Wednesday, firefighters continued to battle blazes, but gusting winds were a constant threat. Arson investigators said earlier they had found six main sources of the fires. Marysville remains cordoned off, and State Premier John Brumby said 50 to 100 of its 500 residents may have been killed.
Country Fire Authority (CFA) Deputy Chief Fire Officer Steve Warrington told the Australian Associated Press that fires near Bunyip and Kinglake could merge and threaten more towns if they are fanned by northerly winds forecast for Saturday. Only eight have so far been confirmed dead, but investigators were still searching the town where 80% of buildings were destroyed, and they had not been able to identify and remove all bodies, he added.
"There is a huge effort going on minimising the impact of that fire as we speak," he said. "There are still deceased persons in homes," he said.
In Kinglake, residents were allowed to return to the melted and burned remains of their homes for the first time since the devastation. Mr Brumby said he was aware of "several" fires being lit northeast of Melbourne late on Tuesday.
There have also been several reports of looting in the affected areas, according to Victoria's Chief Commissioner of Police, Christine Nixon. 'Strange people'
The Bureau of Meteorology said the temperature on Saturday - the worst day for the fires - reached 46.4 Celsius in Melbourne, a hotter day than 13 January 1939, when bushfires killed 71 people.
Cooler weather early on Thursday assisted firefighters battling ongoing blazes, although gusting winds posed a constant threat.Kinglake residents sift through the charred remains of their homes
But fire officials feared ongoing fires near Bunyip and Kinglake could merge and threaten more towns if they were fanned by northerly winds forecast for Saturday.
In Kinglake on Wednesday, residents were allowed to return to the charred remains of their homes for the first time since the devastation.
Ms Nixon said there had been several reports of looting in the affected areas.
"Certainly some [firefighting] volunteers and citizens have told us that they have seen strange people in their neighbourhoods," she said."Certainly some [firefighting] volunteers and citizens have told us that they have seen strange people in their neighbourhoods," she said.
The fires injured some 500 people, destroying nearly 1,000 homes and torching 365,000 hectares (902,000 acres) of land.The fires injured some 500 people, destroying nearly 1,000 homes and torching 365,000 hectares (902,000 acres) of land.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has promised that damaged communities will be rebuilt, with no limit on federal spending. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has described the bushfires as "mass murder", and pledged to rebuild damaged communities, with no limit on federal spending.
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