Australia wildfires: Officials raise death toll to 4

Nov. 14 (UPI) -- Four people have now died as a result of numerous Australian wildfires burning around the country, authorities said Thursday.

Firefighters are trying to get dozens of fires under control, primarily in New South Wales and Queensland. A total fire ban was placed in Sydney and throughout New South Wales.

"We have about 59 fires burning in NSW, 30 of them still uncontrolled but fortunately none at an emergency level," NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian told lawmakers Thursday. "We have 1,500 firefighters in the field as we speak, 500 trucks and 70 aircraft."

A warning issued by the New South Wales Rural Fire Service said smoke from the fires is affecting Sydney, along with Taree, Port Macquarie and Kempsey.

"Winds will continue to be light and variable with the possibility of high concentrations of smoke settling in some areas. This smoke is likely to persist for the next few days while wind conditions remain relatively stable," the warning said.

Fire officials told residents they should keep doors and windows closed, pets in a protected area and headlights on while driving.

Berejiklian identified the latest fire victim as Barry Parsons, 58, whose body was found Thursday in Willawarrin, about 21 miles northwest of Kempsey late Wednesday. Authorities previously found the bodies of Vivian Chaplain, 69, Julie Fletcher, 63, and George Nole at different locations in rural NSW.

Police cited a 16-year-old boy for starting a fire that damaged 14 homes in the Queensland town of Yeppoon, some 400 miles north of Brisbane. New South Wales authorities said they've also arrested two men in connection with the fires.