Southeast Australia’s recent extreme weather conditions—record-setting heat and powerful winds—have spawned more than 100 bushfires. These fires recently drove thousands of tourists and locals, cut off from overland escape routes, to seek shelter on nearby beaches. Heavy smoke has reddened skies across Australia’s two most populous states, as hundreds of firefighters battle the blazes. Below, a recent look at the nightmarish conditions across the region.
Photos of Australia’s Raging Bushfires
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Children play on the showground in the southern New South Wales town of Bega where they are camping after being evacuated from nearby sites affected by bushfires on December 31, 2019. #
Sean Davey / AFP / Getty -
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Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Services (WIRES) volunteer and carer Tracy Dodd holds a kangaroo with burned feet pads, after it was rescued from bushfires in Australia's Blue Mountains area, on December 30, 2019. #
Jill Gralow / Reuters -
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