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| Two quizzed over Australia fires | Two quizzed over Australia fires |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| 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. | 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. |
| Detectives had responded to a report of suspicious behaviour in a badly fire-hit area of Victoria state, they said. | Detectives had responded to a report of suspicious behaviour in a badly fire-hit area of Victoria state, they said. |
| 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. | 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. |
| At least two of the deadly fires were started deliberately, authorities say. | At least two of the deadly fires were started deliberately, authorities say. |
| Despite rain overnight and cooler weather on Thursday, firefighters were continuing to battle several blazes, and a massive police investigation was continuing into the worst bushfires in Australia's history. | |
| See map of fires | See map of fires |
| Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has announced a day of national mourning and said there would be a memorial service to remember the victims of the bushfires. | |
| Hollywood actors Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman, Olympian Cathy Freeman and cricketer Shane Warne are among the Australian celebrities throwing their weight behind a national telethon later on Thursday to help raise money for fire victims. | |
| Difficult identification | Difficult identification |
| 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 earlier they had found six main sources of the fires. Advertisement | |
| Burnt-out vehicles and metal roofs are all that remain in Kinglake | |
| 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 - killing at least 21 people. | |
| She added that it was possible a devastating blaze that killed at least 15 people in the town of Marysville had been set deliberately, as there seemed to be no explanation for how it started. | |
| 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, she said. | |
| Marysville remains cordoned off, and State Premier John Brumby said up to 100 of its 500 residents may have been killed, adding that he thought the final death-toll would top 200. | |
| Investigators were still scouring the town where 80% of buildings were destroyed, and they had not been able to identify and remove all bodies, he added. | |
| "There are still deceased persons in homes," he said. | "There are still deceased persons in homes," he said. |
| Mr Brumby said he was aware of "several" fires being lit northeast of Melbourne late on Tuesday. | Mr Brumby said he was aware of "several" fires being lit northeast of Melbourne late on Tuesday. |
| 'Strange people' | '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.Kinglake residents sift through the charred remains of their homes | |
| In Kinglake on Wednesday, residents were allowed to return to the charred remains of their homes for the first time since the devastation. | 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. | 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. |
| Mr Rudd has described the bushfires as "mass murder", and pledged to rebuild damaged communities, with no limit on federal spending. | |
| Click here to return | Click here to return |
| Are you affected by the fires? Do you have friends or relatives in the area? | Are you affected by the fires? Do you have friends or relatives in the area? |
| Send your comments using the post form below. | Send your comments using the post form below. |
| In most cases a selection of your comments will be published, displaying your name and location unless you state otherwise in the box below. | In most cases a selection of your comments will be published, displaying your name and location unless you state otherwise in the box below. |