Canberra, January 10 (QNA) - Australia today declared a state of disaster in the southeast of the country as a result of bushfires that have swept through homes and vast areas of forest.
The state of Victoria, whose capital is Melbourne, experienced a severe heatwave with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius, while winds helped fires spread rapidly. The deadliest fires have destroyed about 150,000 hectares near the town of Longwood, an area covered by forests, according to local authorities. (QNA)