Australians Flee New Wildfire Flare-Ups

Scores of people fled their homes in southern Australia on Monday fearing that rising temperatures and strong winds could fan blazes burning in forests into unstoppable firestorms. Tensions were high in Victoria, where devastating fires swept a vast area of the state on Feb. 7, destroying more than 1,800 homes and killing more than 200 people in the country's worst fire disaster. Some of the blazes have been burning for weeks in the state, though all fires were being contained in unpopulated areas by firefighters. Residents were warned to either leave early or prepare themselves to fight the fires. The conditions were on Feb. 7, when record temperatures of around 117 F (47 C) and 60-mph (100-kph) winds created what officials have dubbed "Black Saturday." Some 7,500 people were displaced by the fires, and some entire towns lie in ruins. Some sites remain sealed off by police as they search for bodies and evidence of arson. One man has been charged with starting one of the deadly fires, and arson is suspected in at least one other. The confirmed death toll stands at 209 and is expected to rise as more remains are identified from the ruins.