Australia firefighters try to dampen down flames

(4 Jan 2020) Authorities on Australia's southeast coast were on high alert for deteriorating conditions on Saturday as more than 200 fires continued to burn across the nation.

On the south coast of New South Wales, firefighters worked to extinguish blazes and put out spot fires before temperatures were forecast to soar above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) later in the day.

The bleak weather forecast prompted one of the largest evacuations in the country's history during the week.

The premier of the neighbouring state of Victoria declared a disaster across a large eastern area, allowing the government to order evacuations for up to 140,000 permanent residents and tens of thousands more holidaymakers.



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