Australian fires threaten homes

Victoria state has been hit by devastating bush fires this summer

Bush fires are continuing to threaten property in the Australian state of Victoria, a day after they knocked out power supplies to some 200,000 people.

Officials said eight houses were destroyed in two separate blazes, while lightning strikes triggered new fires.

High temperatures and winds were escalating the situation, an environment department spokesman said.

But the electricity supply was restored after a key power line cut on Tuesday was repaired.

Bush fires have been burning in Victoria since November. On Monday, Australia asked US firefighters to join teams from New Zealand and Canada to help battle the blazes.

State Premier Steve Bracks said the fires were unprecedented.

"This is the worst bush fire conditions we have ever had in Victoria's history, because it is going to go on and it is going to get worse," he told journalists.

'Expecting more'

Environment Department spokesman Pat Groenhout said that seven houses were destroyed overnight in Toombullup, in the north-east of the state.

Another house was razed west of Melbourne when a lightning strike triggered a blaze.

"We expect that we will see a few more as the day progresses and the conditions warm up, so we're looking to jump on those as quickly as possible with water bombers and crews and to get containment lines around them," Mr Groenhout said.

State officials, meanwhile, confirmed that power had mostly been restored to the 200,000 people who were affected when a bushfire knocked out power lines linking Victoria to the national grid.

The power cut came amid soaring demand for electricity, to combat the 39C heat.

In the state capital, Melbourne, trains and trams were affected and more than 1,000 traffic lights failed, causing chaos on roads. Hospitals lost power and shops and offices were forced to close.

Even now the power has been largely restored, Victoria's Premier Steve Bracks urged residents to conserve electricity, as temperatures are set to exceed 40C later this week.

Bush fires are common in Australia's summer, but officials say the situation is even worse than normal this year, because of a long-standing drought.

Many fires are caused by lightning, while others are started deliberately.