Death toll rises as fires ravage homes

Relief supplies began reaching thousands of people stranded in fire-ravaged Australian towns yesterday after deadly bushfires ripped through popular tourist spots and rural areas leaving at least eight people dead.

Navy ships and military aircraft were deployed alongside emergency crews to provide humanitarian relief and assess the damage from the deadliest spate of blazes yet in a months-long bushfire crisis.

Police said three more bodies were discovered yesterday, bringing the confirmed death toll since late Monday to eight, including a volunteer firefighter who died when a “fire tornado” flipped his 10-tonne truck. The latest deaths take to at least 17 the number of people killed in one of Australia’s most devastating bushfire seasons of recent years.

The fires encircled seaside communities to trap thousands of holidaymakers and locals, cutting electricity and communication services that in many areas remained down late yesterday.

Cooler temperatures and easing winds provided a window of opportunity for relief efforts yesterday. Authorities however warned the fire danger would spike on Saturday as temperatures soar again. This season’s blazes destroyed more than 1,000 homes and scorched about 5.5 million hectares -- an area bigger than Denmark or the Netherlands.