Bushfire conditions worsen in east and west Australia

Rising temperatures, lightning strikes and gusty winds further raised fire danger on both coasts of Australia on Sunday as the country already battles more than 120 bushfires and firefighters workday and night trying to contain them.

Western Australia declared catastrophic fire ratings for four of the state regions as temperatures were set to rise well above 40 degrees Celsius (104°F) on Sunday.

Queensland authorities issued emergency warnings for part of the state, where nearly 70 fires were burning early on Sunday.

In New South Wales, where 303 homes have been lost in the past week and which saw its first-ever catastrophic fire rating issued for Sydney on Tuesday, there were 56 fires burning across the state with nearly half yet to be contained, NSW Rural Fire Services said.

Via Reuters