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A firefighter has been killed in the Victorian bushfires overnight, as the death toll reached 200.
The Canberra firefighter died when a tree limb crashed on a fire tanker near the bushfire devastated Victorian town of Marysville, around 7pm (NZT9pm) last night.
"A large tree appears to have
crashed on to one of our fire tankers at Cambarville, resulting in an ACT Fire Brigade firefighter confirmed dead," ACT Emergency Service Agency commissioner Gregor Manson told reporters in Canberra.
Eleven new deaths were confirmed by police from the savage Kinglake Complex bushfires last night, raising the death toll to 200.
The hardest hit community from the devastating fires, which began amid high wind and extreme heat on February 7, is Strathewen, on Melbourne's northeastern fringe, where 42 of the town's 200 residents are confirmed dead.
The number of dead confirmed at Kinglake is now 37, four more than on Monday, while 21 deaths have now been recorded at nearby St Andrews.
At Steels Creek, 10 people have now been confirmed dead, with the toll rising to two at Strath Creek.
The Kinglake Complex, covering a vast section of Victoria's central highlands, now accounts for 139 of the 200 deaths.
The toll at Marysville, which stands at 39, is expected to rise sharply as the search for the remains of missing people continues.
Meanwhile, firefighters say they are getting on top of the Victorian bushfires, with just six major blazes still burning out of control.
"It is getting quieter, yes. We have got six going fires. That is certainly a break from last week," said a Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) spokesman.
"That number is getting down, so that was good ... We have been working on about seven to eight fires for the past few days."
He said in the past day or so the Beechworth fires and those that were part of the Delburn complex had been contained.
The weather is forecast to become more favourable for firefighters.
"Generally mild conditions for the next few days will assist the fire response," the spokesman said.
He said scattered showers were expected in the east of the state, moving to central Victoria.
On Tuesday the total area covered by ongoing fires stood at 294,487 hectares.
The number of firefighters tackling the blazes stood at 3,248, including those from interstate and overseas.
But the DSE spokesman warned against people becoming complacent in the mild weather.
"We are telling people to still be vigilant with their fire plans. We are still in the heart of summer and it is not over yet," he said.
The largest fires still burning out of control are the two that are part of the Kilmore East-Murrindindi complex.
The other uncontrolled fires are located at the Bunyip State Park, and near Churchill, Dargo and Wilson's Promontory.
Insurance companies have received more than 5,000 claims relating to the devastating bushfires.
A statement from the Insurance Council of Australia said about 1,300 of the claims were for total loss of property.
Ten per cent of the claims were for motor vehicles and about 90 per cent were for building contents.
"The Insurance Council encourages all policyholders to contact their insurers as a matter of priority," said council chief Kerrie Kelly.
More than 1,800 homes are believed to have been destroyed by the bushfires.
Council spokesman Sean Sampson said as more people were able to get access to their properties, he expected the number of insurance claims would rise further.
- AAP
