Communities flee as 40 homes lost
At least forty homes have gone up in flames and two firefighters have been airlifted to hospital with 'serious' burns as a bushfire crisis intensifies.
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Bushfire news alerts
The latest news and updates on bushfires burning across Australia, featuring 9News reporters on the ground monitoring the situation as firefighters tackle the blazes.
The most common causes of bushfires in Australia include lighting strikes, trees falling on powerlines, arsonists, unintentional kindling of surrounding foliage during agricultural land clearing, dropped matches, cigarettes, sparks caused by power tools, farm machinery and controlled backburning escaping.
Eucalypt trees are synonymous with the Australian bushland and are what most Australians identify with when they hear the words "bushfire". The eucalyptus leaves contain highly flammable oils that have the ability to burn rapidly and extremely well in a fire.
Water bombing helicopters collect from residents' pools
Water bombing helicopters have resorted to collecting water from local residents' swimming pools as they battle to contain an 'emergency' bushfire burning south-west of Sydney.
fires
Fears 'mega blaze' will encircle Sydney amid emergency warnings
Multiple fires have flared up in NSW this afternoon, including one in danger of joining another to encircle Sydney, as a state of emergency was declared.
New South Wales
Power outages hit Sydney suburbs
Power was cut to thousands of Sydney homes this afternoon as NSW battles extreme heatwave conditions and dangerous bushfires.
New South Wales
Forced evacuations as 'extremely strong winds' hamper firefighting efforts
More homes are under threat as Queensland communities are told to flee a number of dangerous bushfires.
disasters
Weather warning ahead of heatwave set to topple records
Weather bosses have issued warnings over record breaking extreme heat for NSW and ACT from Wednesday.
Heatwave
Burnt Christmas tree erected in the heart of Sydney
Created from materials collected in fire-ravaged NSW, it is constructed from branches, a scorched bicycle, a ruined fire alarm and other debris left behind by the deadly fires.
New South Wales
Fire bosses warn of 'worst possible circumstances'
Fire bosses warned of "the worst possible circumstances" combining this week to create a dangerous fire threat across New South Wales.
national
Bushfire devastation visible from the skies
Billowing smoke from blazes burning in the NSW Blue Mountains can be seen from planes.
NSW Fires
Fire chiefs blame worsening bushfires on climate change
Three former fire chiefs have reinforced claims that "unprecedented" bushfires raging across Australia are linked to climate change
Smoke
Schoolboy survives bushfire by driving family car through paddocks
A 12-year-old boy has survived a fierce bushfire by driving through the fireground as the blaze raged around him in a rural WA town.
Western Australia
Firefighters battling three major bushfires across Western Australia
Thousands of properties have been saved from bushfires burning out of control north of Perth, but lives and homes remain under threat.
Perth
Sydney bushfire smoke a 'public health emergency'
A leading group of doctors and other health professionals say recent hazardous air quality in NSW is a public health emergency.
SydneyBushfires bring smoky skies to Sydney
Bushfire smoke will again settle across the Sydney Basin, the RFS says, and temperatures are forecast to hit the high 40s in some parts of NSW later this week.
Sydney
NSW bushfire conditions to worsen as temperatures climb
High temperatures are forecast in the coming week and Sydney is set for a hazy Sunday due to bushfire smoke.
New South Wales
Blue Mountains businesses flailing amid bushfire crisis
Local businesses in the upper Blue Mountains say they are struggling after tourists concerned about the state's bushfire crisis cancel their plans to visit the region.
New South Wales
Bushfires threaten lives north of Perth
An uncontrolled bushfire is threatening lives and homes near Yanchep National Park, north of Perth, while the threat from a second blaze at Toodyay has eased.
Perth
Major NYE music festival cancelled due to bushfires
Festival organisers have made the made the "devastating" call after consulting with NSW RFS and determining the fire risk to be too high.
fires
PM concedes climate change contributing to bushfire crisis
However, he said there was no direct link between any of the fires that have raged across Australia this year and his climate change policies.
Scott Morrison
Firefighter blasts PM in open letter
A member of a brigade on the NSW far-south coast wrote an open letter to the prime minster calling climate change a war that Australia needs help fighting.
fires
Elevated fire danger as smoke threat continues
More than 720 NSW homes have been confirmed lost this fire season, with firefighters continuing to battle blazes throughout the state.
NSW Fires
Thousands protest climate change amid bushfire crisis
Thousands of people have swarmed Town Hall and Hyde Park in Sydney's CBD as part of a snap protest on climate change.
climate change
Climate inaction is galling: ex-fire boss
Climate change concerns raised by ex-fire chiefs during the NSW bushfire crisis were dismissed as "unpalatable" by state minister responsible David Elliott.
climate change
Sydney may soon face even tighter water restrictions
Sydney water restrictions could be tightened even further in a matter of months as dam levels shrink during out-of-control bushfires and unprecedented drought conditions.
Water
Pregnant women may suffer long term from Sydney smoke
Pregnant women and young children with asthma could suffer long term consequences if the toxic air smothering Sydney continues until the end of summer
Sydney
'Unbreathable' smoke choking NSW as bushfires fanned by wind change
Climate scientists have described the shroud of smoke blanketing NSW as 'unbreathable', while firefighters are concerned a wind change could fan supercharged bushfires further.
New South Wales
A city shrouded in smoke
Sydney awoke to a choking cloud of smoke from east to west as bushfires continue to rage across the state
Smoke
From blue skies to thick haze
Sydney's CBD is yet again shrouded in thick smoke, with environmental authorities warning the poor air quality is set to stick around.
Smoke
'Hazardous' blanket of haze hangs over Sydney
Sydneysiders have woken up to another morning of toxic smoke hanging over the city, with NSW environment authorities warning of poor air quality for Tuesday.
NSW Fires
Emergency warning for fire in East Gippsland downgraded
An emergency warning issued for a bushfire in East Gisppsland has been downgraded.
Victoria
Heatwave conditions continue for second week of summer
Extreme heat is expected to impact several states and territories this week, challenging December records and aggravating fire danger ratings.
Weather
Face mask sales spike as Sydney's toxic air set to worsen
The toxic air in Sydney, which has triggered a run on protective mask sales and spike in hospital visits, will worsen over the next 48 hours as weather conditions increase the bushfire risk to "severe" in some parts of NSW.
New South Wales
High temperatures and strong winds create horror fire conditions
NSW firefighters are preparing for another horror week of blazes, with the mercury tipped to soar into the 40s in parts of the state by Tuesday.
fires
Firies prepare as temperatures set to soar
NSW firefighters are taking advantage of easing conditions to try to get bushfires ravaging the state under control before temperatures soar later this week.
queensland
Fire emergency in Queensland city
Locals are fleeing from a grass fire in Ipswich, as crews battle fires across Queensland and NSW
fires
Australia's bushfires are turning NZ glaciers pink
Some of New Zealand's famed glaciers have turned red due to the bushfires raging across the east coast of Australia.
national
NSW 'living in fear' as bushfires rage
The NSW bushfire crisis has people "living in fear" with more than 100 blazes burning across the state and Sydney choking on harmful smoke pollution.
emergencies
Koalas injured in NSW bushfires given new recovery facility
Koala populations have been decimated by NSW fires, but those that make it out have been given a special place to recover from their injuries.
Koala
'Help yourself': Locals leave touching note for firies
In the middle of the bushfire crisis gripping New South Wales, there continues to be glimpses of goodwill and community on the fire grounds.
fires
Sydneysiders face another smoky day amid new health warnings
Authorities are warning poor air quality conditions will continue throughout the day and into the weekend.
Sydney
Kiwi firies perform the haka after weeks of battling Aussie bushfires
Kiwi firefighters have performed a powerful haka in the fire-affected NSW town of Ballina before returning to New Zealand.
fires
Air purifier could help in bushfire smoke haze
With the bushfire crisis in NSW creating weeks of poor air quality across the state, more and more families are looking into investing in an air purifier for their households.
pollution
Firefighters film wall of flames tearing towards them
Crews from Ingleburn, in Sydney's south-west, were battling an out-of-control bushfire in Orangeville last night when a wall of flames quickly advanced towards them.
New South Wales
Massive blaze still burning near Toowoomba as heatwave persists
A massive fire with a 16-kilometre front that has burned 1200 hectares of land continues to burn as fire crews faces for soaring heatwave temperatures to persist into the weekend.
queensland
What the bushfire smoke is doing to your lungs
Hazy skies and smoky air has become the norm in recent days for millions of Australians living in cities and towns affected by the bushfire emergency. But how is it impacting our health?
health
Residents defend homes as fires flare
Residents on the NSW south coast are defending their homes from a fast approaching fire, as multiple other blazes in the state also escalated.
firesCommunity near Toowoomba urged to seek shelter as bushfire approaches
Residents of Forest Ridge at Millmerran near Toowoomba have been urged to seek shelter as a large fire approaches.
national
One home confirmed destroyed in Wisemans Ferry blaze
At least one home has been destroyed as fires sweep through Wisemans Ferry in the NSW Hawkesbury region.
emergencies
Backup power sources secured to brace for extreme summer heat
Backup power sources have been secured for the electricity grid as the sector braces for extreme summer heat and possible outages caused by bushfires.
power
Fire crews facing tough conditions
Sydney is blanketed in choking smoke haze as the continuing Queensland heatwave triggers health warnings.
Heatwave
