Death toll rises in Australian wildfires with worsening weather forecast

The death toll in wildfires raging across Australia’s most populous state has risen to four as authorities warned of worsening weather conditions to come.

A body was found late on 13 November in a scorched forest near the town of Kempsey in north-east New South Wales, police said.

He is suspected to be a 58-year-old man who lived in a nearby shed and had not been seen since 8 November when ferocious wildfires across the state killed three other people and destroyed at least 150 homes.

About 60 fires were burning around New South Wales on 14 November, with 27 uncontained. More than 1,000 firefighters are fighting the flames, the Rural Fire Service said.

“We had a better day yesterday, only one fire got to emergency warning, but even in these pretty benign conditions we’re seeing quite a lot of aggressive fire behaviour simply because it’s so dry,” Rural Fire Service deputy commissioner Rob Rogers told Seven Network television.

“Conditions starting to warm up tomorrow, into the weekend and then heating up early next week, a return to more gusty conditions. We’re in for the long haul,” he added.

At least 50 homes were damaged or destroyed in New South Wales on 12 November by wildfires that had burnt into the suburbs of Sydney, Australia’s largest city.

A week-long state of emergency was declared for New South Wales because of the extraordinary fire danger. The emergency declaration gives the Rural Fire Service sweeping powers to control resources and direct other government agencies.

The annual Australian fire season, which peaks during the Southern Hemisphere summer, has started early after an unusually warm and dry winter.