More than 20 homes have been destroyed by spring fires in Australia, officials said on Wednesday, straining communities already suffering under the region's worst drought conditions in living memory.
Blazes in New South Wales (NSW) state have ravaged more than 80,000 hectares (198,000 acres) of land this week alone, and state
fire service officials said they were monitoring about 25 fires ahead of what's shaping up to be a long bushfire season.
"I'm extremely concerned ... this is going to be a horrible bushfire season," state premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney.