* guardian.co.uk, Saturday 7 February 2009 12.24 GMT

At least 14 people killed and 100's of homes destroyed as firefighters struggle to contain blazes

At least 20 people have died in wildfires sweeping through south-east Australia today, with fears the death toll could be closer to 40.

Police said the victims died in several fires that burned through Victoria state, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).  100's homes had been destroyed and police feared up to 40 people had died, the broadcaster said.

Victoria's deputy police commissioner, Kieran Walshe, told ABC he expected the toll to rise.

"Based on the fact we're only just getting into areas, these have been very significant fires, our concern is that it can get worse," he said.

Temperatures of around 47C and high winds spurred dozens of wildfires across three states today, and tens of thousands of firefighters were struggling to contain blazes.

The BBC reported that the worst fire had burned 165 hectares (410 acres) of a park near Melbourne, while there were three fires in the Hunter Valley region north of Sydney.

Reuters reported that aircraft dropped water bombs on bush fires and homes went up in flames as temperatures in Melbourne soared to their highest on record. Local media have called it a "once-in-a-century heatwave".

Temperatures in Melbourne reached 46.4C on Saturday, Reuters said, with the mercury in Laverton, on the city's west, hitting 47.9C.

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