Australia mobilized its armed forces Monday as raging wildfires killed at least 131 people, decimating massive areas of land in the south-east of the country and leaving thousands of residents homeless. "This has been a devastating event for our state," said John Brumby, the premier of the state of Victoria, noting the climbing death toll. "We'll see that number go tragically go higher." The flames narrowly spared his parents. Brumby said the fire stopped just outside their house in the western part of the state. The fires have swept through the state, leaving some firefighters and police to describe the destruction "as something of a holocaust," said Phil Shepherd, an inspector with the Victoria state police.
