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Worst fire in Australian history !

Overwhelmed
A vehicle parked near the remains of a house destroyed by bushfires in the Australian town of Kinglake, 34 miles (55km) northeast of Melbourne, on February 8, 2009. Bushfires have killed over 130 people and burned hundreds of homes since they broke out in the region.

Heat Wave
Vehicles and a barn burn close to Labertouche, west of Melbourne, on February 7, as more than 40 blazes raged across two Australian states in a heatwave that pushed the mercury as high as 115 Fahrenheit.

Unprecedented Destruction
A burnt out house in King Lake. This week's crisis is the worst wildfire disaster in Australian history.

The Wreckage
A crush of charred cars outside Kinglake that were destroyed by fire. Thousands tried to escape the region as the fires spread, sending thousands fleeing in scenes Prime Minister Kevin Rudd compared to "hell" on Sunday.

Worse to Come
Firefighters try to contain an approaching front at Boolarra South in Gippsland, Victoria, at the end of January, less than two weeks before catastrophic flames hit the region.

Aftermath
Leveled houses in Kinglake. The fire has razed entire towns in southeastern Australia.

A Futile Fight?
A firefighter tries to contain a bushfire approaching the town of Peats Ridge, north of Sydney, on February 8.

Engulfed
A fire truck moves away from out-of-control flames from a bushfire in the Bunyip State Forest near the township of Tonimbuk, west of Melbourne.

Caught in the Flames
Dead cattle lie next to the road to Marysville after bushfires destroyed the town. Police suspect some of the fires were started by arsonists, whom Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has accused of "mass murder."

A Rising Toll
The fires' human death toll, already the highest in 26 years, is set to rise further as medics treat badly burned survivors and police sift through hundreds of homes destroyed by the fires.

Unfavorable Conditions
The fires come as large swathes of Australia have been grappling with a severe drought

A Wall of Smoke
Country Fire Authority staff monitor a giant fire raging in Bunyip State Park. The last time Australia saw such horrific conditions was during the Ash Wednesday wildfires of 1983, which killed 75 people and razed 2,500 homes.

A Public and Private Loss
Family members comfort each other on learning that their parents and disabled brother were among the victims who died in the Marysville bushfire.

Evidence
A destroyed bike lays in the charred ground in the town of Christmas Hills. Some of the towns destroyed in the fires have been declared crime scenes, as police try to uncover whether the fires were arsonists' work.

Mapping the Tragedy
A NASA image, rendered Feb. 7, shows a large plume of smoke spreading southward from fires, outlined in red, burning west of Churchill in Victoria's Gippsland region.