Australian authorities announced Sunday that human remains have been discovered in the country’s southeast where brushfires have raged for days across the bushland.
Officers said the remains were found near a vehicle off a road in Seymour, which is north of Melbourne.
The Context
Fires have burned across parts of Australia over the past month, with 40 homes destroyed and a firefighter killed in December as the fire destroyed communities in New South Wales and Tasmania.
The latest fires started over the past few days in the state of Victoria, destroying 300 buildings and killing at least one person, according to the BBC. Officials declared a state of emergency and have called in thousands of firefighters and over 70 aircraft to fight the blaze, which has destroyed around 860,000 acres of bushland so far, according to Reuters.
The brushfires have resulted from very hot, dry, and windy conditions, and could continue to burn for several weeks, authorities warned. The fires have been the worst to hit the region since the 2019-2020 blazes, which killed 33 people.
What To Know
The fatality discovered Sunday is the first to be reported during the Victoria brushfires, specifically among the Longwood brushfire, which burned in the middle of the state over the past several days, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
Police were only able to first access the area on Sunday afternoon where they found the body about 300 feet from a vehicle. The person has not yet been identified.
Forest Fire Management Victoria chief Chris Hardman said the death was devastating as preventing loss of life is “at the forefront and the center of our thinking” and is “what drives and motivates us.”
“This really takes all the wind out of our sails, and we feel really heartfelt feelings for the local community there and the family, friends and loved ones of the person who is deceased,” he told reporters on Sunday.
Meanwhile, emergency response personnel found a man in his 60s dead inside a vehicle on his property, but they do not believe he died as a result of the fires.
ABC reported on Sunday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a $19.5 million immediate support package that would help farmers, provide emergency accommodations, and disaster recovery mental health support.
“This package of funding will assist primary producers with the extraordinary costs of undertaking fodder distribution to ensure humane treatment of stranded livestock,” Albanese said.
What People Are Saying
Victoria’s Premier Jacinta Allan told local media on Sunday: “We will see fires continue for some time across the state and that is why we are not through the worst of this by a long way. There are fires that are continuing right now that are threatening homes and property.”
Forest Fire Management Victoria chief Chris Hardman told ABC about impending extreme heat: “By the 18th of January we could be in really spike weather territory again and that fire could head right for the coast.”
What Happens Next
Officials continue to provide updates on the blaze and efforts to fight it, which can be found on the VicEmergency website.
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