MELBOURNE, Feb. 18 (UPI) -- The death of a firefighter near the town of Marysville brought the death toll to 201 Wednesday for southern Australia's bush fires.
Authorities in the state of Victoria say it may be some time before all of the victims are identified but officials said they believe they are close to establishing an exact number of deaths, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported.
"We are in a position to be relatively comfortable that all those who were unaccounted for have now been accounted for and their remains have been located," said Deputy Police Commissioner Kieran Walshe.
State coroner Jennifer Coate said she hopes the identification process for victims will be carried out quickly.
"We are so acutely aware that every day is an agonizing wait for those families waiting on news of their loved ones," she said.
The latest victim, David Balfour, is the first firefighter to be killed on duty since the bush fires began.
Balfour died when a tree fell on him while he was trying to connect a hose.
