SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian firefighters said on Saturday they were making progress putting out the last of the bushfires that killed at least 181 people, and hoped to bring all the blazes under control soon.
Some 12 fires were still burning as of Saturday morning in the fire-ravaged southern state of Victoria, compared with more than 20 early on Friday, a spokeswoman for the state's Country Fire Authority told Reuters.
"We made some good progress overnight and there's been some good containment lines made around the fires. At the moment we have 12 fires burning but they are working well to get them under control," the spokeswoman said.
No emergency bushfire alerts were out on Saturday, she said.
At least 181 people were killed in the fires, the worst natural disaster to hit Australia in more than a century. These figures are expected to rise once a fuller assessment is made.
On Friday a man was charged with "arson causing death" and "intentionally or recklessly" lighting a fire near the town of Churchill last weekend.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has called the disaster "mass murder." Researchers believe about half of the bushfires in Australia are lit deliberately.
The disaster area, more than twice the size of London and encompassing more than 20 towns, has been declared a crime zone. The fires have burnt 1,831 homes and left 7,000 people homeless.
