Australia`s Bushfires Leave Trail of Death and Destruction

The fires, which stretch across 210 kms (130 miles), broke out on Wednesday in heatwave conditions and quickly burnt across farmlands, forcing residents to flee and others to frantically try and save their homes and livestock.

"It was just the intensity of the fire and the speed. We tried to put it out. You just couldn't put it out," farmer John Lush told Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

"We've got a big machinery shed and the (roof) gutters of that are 25 feet (eight metres) off the ground and the flames were coming over the top of that shed, so it was just horrific," said Lush.

A 56-year-old woman and a 69-year-old man died in separate fires. Thirteen people are being treated in hospital and three people are missing, said South Australia State Premier Jay Weatherill.

"Five of those are either a in critical or serious condition with significant burns. We know that one of those persons has burns to more than 80 percent on their body," said Weatherill.

"We hold grave fears for many more (and) can't be entirely sure we have identified every single person in the fire ground," he said.

Four people were killed in a series of wildfires sparked by lightning in Western Australia state last week.

Wildfires are an annual summer event in Australia, but rising temperatures have prompted some scientists to warn that climate change could increase the length and intensity of the summer fire season. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology declared October the hottest month on record.

Damage reports suggest more than 85,000 hectares of farmland and bush have been burnt by the fires, Weatherill said, with a significant livestock lost, including more than 2,000 pigs.

Four hundred extra firefighters were due to arrive from interstate on Thursday to battle the blazes.

REUTERS