MERIMBULA – Australian authorities issued new warnings and evacuation notices across the country’s southeast on Thursday as a return of hot weather fanned huge bushfires, threatening several towns and communities.
A disaster notice in the state of Victoria was extended by two days and people in danger zones were told to leave. In neighboring New South Wales, authorities told residents to prepare for worsening weather conditions.
Twenty-six people have died while thousand others have been made homeless as fires scorched through over 10.3-million hectares (25.5-million acres) of land.
Ecologists at the University of Sydney have estimated the number of animals killed or injured in the fires to one billion.(Reuters)
