Firefighters controlling Australian blazes that killed 2

PERTH, Australia – Officials say wildfires that killed two men and destroyed more than 140 buildings in southwest Australia were being brought under control.

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services said in a statement on Monday that the blazes had scorched more than 71,150 hectares (175,800 acres) of farms and woodland south of the Western Australia state capital Perth since they were sparked by lightning strikes last Wednesday.

It said the fires had destroyed 143 buildings, including 128 houses. Emergency Services Minister Joe Francis says most of the property damage occurred in the township of Yarloop, where two men in their 70s died on Thursday.

Francis says more than 450 firefighters took advantage of cooler conditions since Sunday to contain the fires.