Australia News

Raging Australian Bushfire Destroys Dozens of Homes

SYDNEY — Firefighters in Western Australia battled gusty winds and high temperatures on Tuesday as they fought a bushfire that has scorched thousands of hectares of land and destroyed more than 56 homes. Television broadcast images of air tankers flying …

Australia Wine Faces ‘Toughest Year’ in Memory After Fires and Drought

The choking smoke that blanketed Australia’s east and south coast during devastating wildfires is roiling some of its storied wineries. Some winemakers are scrapping vintages this year after grapes were hit by smoke taint, which gives wines a burnt, ashy …

Australian Wildfires Fan Argument Over Impact of Arsonists

CANBERRA, Australia — What’s to blame for scores of wildfires devastating Australia’s southeast? There’s an increasingly bitter face-off between those who say arson and those who fault climate change. Each side has powerful backers and their weapons of choice are …

Australia’s Capital City Faces Its Worst Wildfire Threat in 17 Years

Canberra, Australia’s capital that’s surrounded by bush, is facing its worst wildfire threat in 17 years as a blaze sparked by a military helicopter approaches the city amid heatwave conditions. Residents in Canberra’s southern suburbs should be vigilant after the …

Forecast Storms Bring Both Relief and New Risks for Fire-stricken Australia

MELBOURNE — Severe storms are expected to bring some relief in the coming days from huge bushfires scorching Australia but the heavy downpours could also carry the risk of landslides and water pollution, officials said on Wednesday. Australia is battling …

Australia Urges 240,000 to Flee as Winds Fan Huge Bushfires

Australia urged nearly a quarter of a million people to evacuate their homes on Friday and prepared military backup as authorities said the next few hours could be “very, very challenging” even as rain poured down in some parts. Defense …

Natural Disaster Losses Decline After Major Storms Spare U.S.

Insurance losses from natural disasters fell last year after the U.S. was spared the full wrath of a major Atlantic hurricane. That’s according to the reinsurance firm Munich Re, which recorded total losses of $150 billion from events like hurricanes, …

Deadly Australia Fires Spur Calls to Mitigate Disaster Risk

As the devastation from Australia’s bushfires widens, the insurance industry is calling for concerted action to mitigate the impact of climate change. Months of out-of-control fires have burnt an area more than five times the size of Wales and industry-wide …

Cooler Weather Helps Quell Wildfires That Left at Least 24 Dead

Firefighters are taking advantage of cooler weather to quell southeastern Australia’s wildfires that have killed at least 24 people and prompted stirring messages from stars at the Golden Globes. Some 130 blazes across New South Wales are being fought by …

Australia Counts Wildfire Devastation After Calamitous Weekend

Hundreds of properties were destroyed across southeastern Australia after searing temperatures and strong winds exacerbated catastrophic wildfires Saturday in one of the worst days of the weeks-long crisis. Dozens of communities, from small towns on the south coast of New …