Graphic shows details of bushfires in southeastern Australia.
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AUSTRALIA

Australians leave homes as heat, winds escalate fire danger

January 10, 2020 - Australian authorities have urged almost a quarter of a million people to evacuate their homes as hot, windy conditions fuel deadly bushfires across the east coast.

The danger is centred on New South Wales and Victoria, Australia’s most populous states, where temperatures and wind speeds are escalating after a few days of relatively benign conditions.

Authorities sent emergency texts to 240,000 people in Victoria on Friday, telling them to leave. People in high-risk regions in New South Wales and South Australia were also urged to think about leaving, but officials did not say how many, Reuters said.

Since October, 27 people have been killed and thousands forced to flee as huge bushfires scorched more than 10.3 million hectares of land across Australia, or an area the size of South Korea.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 10/01/2020; STORY: Graphic News
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