TWELVE BURNED
FIRES IN VICTORIA GREAT DAMAGE CAUSED THOUSANDS FIGHT FLAMES (United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) (Received Jan. 15, 3.15 p.m.) MELBOURNE, Jan. 15 Twelve people were burned to deatn and about 350 houses were destroyed in devastating bush fires which swept parts of Victoria yesterday. Big tires were blazing on three sides of Melbourne last night. Livestock, croos and fencing also have been destroyed and the damage is estimated at £500,000. Nearly 30,000 men, including thousands of soldiers, are fighting fires which swept to within 13 mixes of Melbourne in a southern suburb, 10 miles from the city in the northwest and 25 miles in the north. Hundreds of people have been driven from their homes and lost their- entire possessions. The fires are on widely separated fronts in a huge area mostly in the western district, but they reach as far north as Beech worth. The present fires recall the disastrous outbreaks in 1939. which began on January 13 with a 70. milcs-an-hour wind and in a temperature of 114 degrees and resulted in the Joss of 69 lives.
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Waikato Times, Volume 194, Issue 22246, 15 January 1944, Page 6
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181TWELVE BURNED Waikato Times, Volume 194, Issue 22246, 15 January 1944, Page 6
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