WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Drought, wildfires and now flooding have given Australia's weather an almost Biblical feel this year. The good news is that a recent deluge in eastern parts of the country has drenched deadly fires and helped ease a crippling drought. But experts say it will take some...
Heavy Rain, Floods Lash Eastern Australia, Help With Fires
CANBERRA, Australia — Heavy rains lashed parts of the wildfire and drought-stricken Australian east coast on Friday, bringing some flooding in Sydney and relief to firefighters still dealing with dozens of blazes in New South Wales. New South Wales is the state hardest hit by wildfires that have killed at...
Firefighting Plane Crashes in Australia, Killing 3 Americans
SYDNEY — Three American crew members were killed Thursday when a C-130 Hercules aerial water tanker crashed while battling wildfires in southeastern Australia, officials said. New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian confirmed the crash deaths in the state's Snowy Monaro region, which came as Australia grapples with an unprecedented fire...
Australia Firefighters Save World's Only Rare Dinosaur Trees
CANBERRA, Australia — Specialist firefighters have saved the world’s last remaining wild stand of a prehistoric tree from wildfires that razed forests west of Sydney, officials said Thursday. Firefighters winched from helicopters to reach the cluster of fewer than 200 Wollemi Pines in a remote gorge in the Blue Mountains...
Australians Leave Homes as Heat, Winds Escalate Fire Danger
EDEN, Australia — Thousands of people fled their homes and helicopters dropped supplies to towns at risk of nearby wildfires as hot, windy conditions Friday threatened already fire-ravaged southeastern Australian communities. The danger is centered on New South Wales and Victoria, Australia’s most populous states, where temperatures and winds spiked...
World's Largest Volunteer Force Fights Australia's Wildfires
TOMERONG, Australia — The wildfire was behaving erratically last week, and Doug Schutz and his team needed to make a quick decision. So they moved a bulldozer from another job and used it to widen a firebreak. That likely helped prevent hundreds of homes from going up in flames. If...
Australian Crews Race to Contain Blazes as Damage Bill Soars
BALMORAL, Australia — Bolstered by cooler weather and desperately needed rain, exhausted firefighters in Australia raced to shore up defenses against deadly wildfires before the blazes flare again within days when scorching temperatures are expected to return. The first hints of the financial toll from the disaster began to emerge...
Australia to Pay 'Whatever It Takes' to Fight Wildfires
SYDNEY — Australia's government said Monday it was willing to pay “whatever it takes” to help communities recover from deadly wildfires that have ravaged the country. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the government was committing an extra 2 billion Australian dollars ($1.4 billion) toward the recovery effort in addition to...
It's Sizzling: Australia Experiences Hottest Day on Record
SYDNEY — Australia experienced its hottest day on record and temperatures are expected to soar even higher as heatwave conditions embrace most of the country. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology said the average temperature across the country of 105 Fahrenheit Tuesday beat the record of 104 Fahrenheit from Jan. 7,...