Thousands of lightning strikes spark wildfires in Australia

Around 2,500 lightning strikes have ignited dozens of fires across Australia's island state of Tasmania, adding to a number of dangerous blazes, authorities said.

We have identified several fires on Tuesday and Wednesday morning, however, due to the sheer amount of lightning strikes that made landfall across a broad area, more fires may be identified as the days progress, Xinhua news agency on Wednesday quoted Mark Dobson from the Tasmanian Fire Service as saying.

The lightning storm was unusually high in the atmosphere and was not accompanied by rain, creating an increased chance of fire ignition on the ground.

Fire crews have been battling remote blazes throughout the state's wilderness which due to their inaccessibility are proving particularly difficult to manage.

--IANS

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