TORONTO - Satellite images show the scale of the bushfires ravaging the Australian coast, capturing plumes of smoke rising from the record-breaking blazes.
The video released today by the New South Wales Rural Fire Service shows smoke from the wildfires that have been ongoing for more than five days.
Australia’s bush fire danger period began at the start of September, bringing the country warm and windy conditions that have pushed fire dangers far beyond their regular severity, with Queensland Fire officials saying they had never seen fires this severe this early in spring in more than 130 years.
Authorities said that as of Tuesday morning, there were 59 fires still burning in the state of New South Wales, with 19 of them uncontained.
Another 57 fires were still burning in nearby Queensland, which saw more than 20 buildings destroyed, and hundreds of evacuations.
The Queensland fires also destroyed the historic Binna Burra Lodge, an 86-year-old mountain retreat in one of the state’s national parks.
Authorities say it may take as much as a week to bring all the fires under control.
With files from the Associated Press
