One Dead in Australian Wildfires That May Burn for Weeks to Come

One person has died in wildfires in the Australian state of Victoria that have burned out an area slightly larger than Rhode Island.

A body was found about 100 meters from a vehicle near the fire-affected town of Gobur, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) northeast of the capital Melbourne, Victoria Police said on Sunday. The person is yet to be formally identified.

Earlier, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said 32 active fires were burning across the state, including 10 major fires. In all, 350,000 hectares (1,350 square miles) have been burnt out, she said.

“We are not through the worst of this by a long way,” Allan said at a press conference. “A number of these large fires, the complex fires, they will run for a number of weeks.”

The state and federal governments also announced an initial A$19.5 million ($13 million) support package for those affected by the fires, which have destroyed more than 300 buildings including dozens of homes.

Victoria, which was hit by Australia’s worst-ever fires in 2009, has a long history of catastrophic bush blazes. Authorities warned the situation could deteriorate further in some parts even as heatwave conditions ease.

Photograph: A bushfire burning near the town of Longwood, northern Victoria, Australia on Jan. 7, 2025. Photo credit: Kylie Shingles/CFA Wandong Fire Brigade/AFP/Getty Images