Two dead as firefighters battle huge Australia bushfire

The inferno has razed about 71,000 hectares in Western Australia and is the most recent in a series of bushfires this summer

Perth (Australia) (AFP) - Two people have died and more than a hundred homes have been destroyed in a huge bushfire, Australian authorities said Sunday, as firefighters battled to tame the out-of-control blaze.

The inferno -- which has razed about 71,000 hectares (175,000 acres) in Western Australia state -- is the most recent in a series of bushfires that have kicked off a hot summer season, with the latest deaths lifting the national toll to eight.