Two charged with arson, Australian wildfires death toll rises to 130

SYDNEY: Two people have been charged with arson after wildfires raged through southeastern Australia at the weekend, killing at least 130 and destroying more than 700 homes, police said Monday. A 31-year-old man accused of lighting a major blaze that burnt through about 200 hectares (495 acres) of bush land in Peats Ridge on the New South Wales central coast was due in court Monday after spending the night in a jail cell. A 15-year-old boy who allegedly set off an explosive that started a small scrub fire in the Blue Mountains near Sydney on Sunday was released on bail after being charged and will appear in court next month. Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd has said that this could not be called anything but murder. Australia finally deployed army to control the fire sprawling on an area of 3,000 square kilometer, which is nearly three-times more than the Hong Kong area. Police have confirmed the death toll thus far at 130 all of them in Victoria state, while thousands have been evacuated.