Spanish forest fire claims fifth firefighter in a week

The driver of a fire truck died Thursday while racing to fight a raging forest fire in eastern Spain, the fifth fatality among firefighters this week, authorities said. The 44-year-old firefighter died while heading toward a fire in Teruel province, the regional Aragon government said on its Web site. Four firefighters died Tuesday while battling a forest fire in the eastern Catalonia region, not far from Teruel, CNN partner station CNN+ reported, citing local authorities

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Australian fires burn as death toll rises to 208

The death toll from bushfires in southeastern Australia has risen to 208, the Australian Red Cross said Thursday. Five fires are still burning across the state of Victoria, a spokeswoman with the Country Fire Authority said

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Australian wildfires death toll rises to 200

Wildfires that scorched much of southeastern Australia this month now threaten part of the country’s water supply, even as the fires’ death toll has risen to 200, officials said. Fires that continue to burn near some major reservoirs in the region imperil the quality of billions of liters of water, according to Australian television station 9 News.

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Australia wildfires slowly being controlled

The wildfires that have roared through southeast Australia for nearly a week were slowly coming under control Friday, as investigators continued the search for who may have set some of the deadly blazes. The Country Fire Authority said the number of fires burning had dropped to 21 from about 35 on Thursday.

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Frustration for survivors as Australian bushfires smolder

As fires smoldered and sometimes raged across sections of the scarred landscape Tuesday, rescue officials in Victoria attempted to offer solace to hundreds burned out of their homes and frustrated at being unable to return. Tent cities sprung up around Whittlesea, just north of Melbourne, as relief agencies pitched camps for those forced out of their homes

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Australian bushfire survivors count cost as death toll rises

Parts of southeastern Australia turned to recovery Tuesday even as fires smoldered and sometimes raged across sections of the scarred landscape. Tent cities sprung up around Whittlesea, just north of Melbourne, as relief agencies pitched camps for those forced out of their homes. Weekend bushfires “completely wiped out” the towns of Marysville and Kinglake, officials said.

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