Tourists, firefighters flee as new heatwave fans Australia blazesHundreds of blazes are burning across Australia, which is experiencing a devastating summer bushfire season fuelled by a prolonged drought and climate change. It was deemed "unsafe" for them to remain in bushland areas, Gippsland fire incident controller Ben Rankin said. SEE ALSO :Murray breaks down after winning first titleIt is the latest emergency in Australia's devastating summer fire season, which has been turbocharged by a prolonged drought and climate change. Neighbouring South Australia is also experiencing "catastrophic" fire conditions. "Winds are gusting and unfortunately this is a dry lightning front that is going to move rapidly across South Australia," he told national broadcaster ABC.

Source: Standard Digital December 30, 2019 05:03 UTC