Body found in Australia bush fire

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The continuing bush fires in the south of Australia have killed one person, and continue to threaten homes across the region.

Police said a body had been found in a house which was gutted by a blaze south of Adelaide.

There is currently a brief respite to the searing heat, allowing officials to evacuate some threatened areas.

But with temperatures set to exceed 40C, the authorities are warning that the worst may be yet to come.

South Australia state police said investigators were examining the remains of a person found inside a burned-out house in a rural area near Adelaide.

"It is believed that a grassfire started, which then at some point engulfed the house," police spokesman Tim Dodds told the Associated Press.

Evacuations

In the neighbouring state of Victoria, fires have been raging with increasing intensity since late November.

This week they have already destroyed eight homes, and knocked out power lines linking Victoria to the national grid, leaving 200,000 people without electricity for a day.

On Thursday the authorities took advantage of slightly cooler conditions to evacuate people from threatened areas, including the mountain village of Thredbo.

Acting New South Wales fire commissioner Rob Rogers said that Saturday might be the most dangerous day for the fires, as winds are expected to hit 60 km/h (40mph), driving the blazes in front of them.

Bush fires are common in Australia's summer, but officials say the situation is even worse than normal this year, because of a long-standing drought.

Many fires are caused by lightning, while others are started deliberately.