Body found as bushfires continue across Vic, NSW

One man has been killed and communities in Victoria and New South Wales remain on alert as large bushfires continue to burn out of control.

The fires turned deadly on Friday evening when Victorian police confirmed the death of a man near Seaton in the Gippsland region.

The man's body was found inside a burnt out car in the Glenmaggie bushfire area.

"The body of the male has yet to be formally identified. Police are investigating and will prepare a report for the Coroner," Victoria Police said in a statement.

Five homes have been destroyed by the Glenmaggie blaze which has burnt through 48,000 hectares and is creating spot fires up to 1 kilometre ahead.

The fire has slowed in pace, but is moving steadily toward the farming hamlet of Licola.

About 10 residents have decided to stay in the area and Country Fire Authority (CFA) crews are also there to defend homes.

The CFA says Licola Road is closed and the fire is making its way towards Mount Useful and The Springs.

Fire Services Commissioner Craig Lapsley says the community is well prepared.

"The township itself, those that have stayed behind have said they are willing to fight it out. They've had fires around them before," he said on Friday.

"They, with their fire trucks around them, will have an interesting night. It's a decision that's quite gutsy I think, but they've made that decision to stay and I think they'll do quite well."

All of Friday's emergency warnings in Victoria and New South Wales have been downgraded, but several new fires have started.

Two fires have broken out near the Murray River in Victoria's north-east.

A fire in Mt Lawson State Park, near Tallangatta, is believed to have been caused by a lightning strike on Friday night.

It is burning out of control in remote bushland but is not threatening private property.

Further east, another fire has been reported in the Burrowa Pine Mountain area, near Corryong.

Sydney city sweltered on Friday as it recorded its hottest day since records began, with temperatures getting to 45.8 degrees.

The extreme heat across NSW also made it a busy day for firefighters as they battled over 100 fires.

The state received three emergency alerts on Friday before they were downgraded.

A cool change during the evening also brought strong southerly winds, leading to the loss of two homes and two sheds in a fire at Millingandi, near the Bega Valley.

Authorities say other properties along the Princes Highway are at risk.

NSW RFS spokeswoman Brydie O'Connor says firefighters will be kept busy through the night.

"That southerly change is moving through the state, it's moved through the Hunter area now," she said.

"It brought with it a lot of force, some very gusty volatile winds, winds gusting up to 90 kilometres per hour on some parts of the coast.

"We've still more than 120 fires burning and that's due to that lightening that also came through the state."

A fire is currently burning in the Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park, north of Sydney.

The RFS says a watch and act alert is in place for blazes at Cessnock, Deans Gap, Boorowa, Coonabarabran and Millingandi.

Cooler temperatures are expected for Sydney on Saturday, but the extreme heat is set to persist in many other areas of the state.

Saturday 19 January 2013

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