shaimaa khalil, bbc news, lake conjola, new south wales. have always been a feature of australian summers, but, as we're reporting, this season has seen some of the most intense and extensive fires ever. experts say it's difficult to pinpoint a single cause, but three years of dry weather and the hottest tempertaures on record last year clearly played a part, as our science editor david shukman reports. on a terrifying scale and burning in too many different areas to be stopped, the flames are causing a massive shock. even in a country that is used to fire. usually, the blazes strike scrubland. these are instead tearing into the forests, which means the fires are hotter and taller and harder to tackle. for a sense of their size, on a map of the uk, here is the vast area in australia that's burned so far. the impact has been devastating. with lives lost among firefighters and residents, more than 1000 homes destroyed and an estimated death toll among animals of 500 million. so, what's behind these fires? well, 2019 was the country's hottest

shaimaa khalil, bbc news, on the southern coast of new south wales.at they are joining the contest to become the next leader of the party. the wigan mp lisa nandy said the role should go to someone from what she called "the neglected areas" of labour's heartlands, who could win back the trust of the party's traditional voters. and jess phillips, the mp for birmingham yardley, has also joined the race. on a visit to grimsby, she said the party needed a leader who could "take on" borisjohson and who was willing to "try something different". i'm standing because i think that we need more honesty in politics, and the labour party has got to be honest with itself, it's got to be honest with the country that if we can lose seats like grimsby, something has to change. more of the same won't cut it. ethical veganism — where people avoid all animal products and exploitation — is a philosophical belief and is therefore protected in law. that's according to an employment tribunal in norwich, ruling on the case of a man who claims he was sacked by the league agai

shaimaa khalil, bbc news, on the southern coast of new south wales.er of foodworks in mallacoota and hejoins me now along with one of his staff members, yana drobeck, who's lost her home in the fires. thank you forjoining us. john, starting with you, tell us about your situation, your shop and your home. 0k, your situation, your shop and your home. ok, so we were one of the lucky ones, we survived. the shop is still trading, although... few days off because we had no—one, obviously, because they were out fighting, trying to save their homes. at this time of the year... there is 6— 9000 people here so a big evacuation happening, i have evacuated 1000 people yesterday and are planning on more. it is quarter past two here in the afternoon and the sky is black outside, it looks like nighttime, so we'rejust in the sky is black outside, it looks like nighttime, so we're just in the middle of firestorm coming through, the ember tax, everyone is outside with hoses —— ember attacks. further down the eastern seaboard, fires are raging so we are getting all of t

shaimaa khalil reports. time in days, nearly a thousand tourists and residents can breathe a little more easily as they're finally moved to safety. the navy has stepped in to rescue those who were stranded on the beach in mallacoota when they were encircled by an uncontrollable fire on monday. a state of disaster has been declared in eastern victoria ahead of tomorrow's extreme conditions. up to 100,000 residents are being told to evacuate. if you can leave, you must leave. that is the only safe thing for you, yourfamily, and, indeed, for others who may be called to your assistance. we cannot guarantee your safety. in new south wales, the message is the same. fire authorities have said that saturday's blazes could be as bad as, if not worse, than those of new year's eve. in the coastal town of batemans bay, firefighters are racing to protect those who have decided to stay. despite the warnings, geoff and pamela zorbas decided they are not leaving their small town of sussex inlet. hopefully it's not going to

shaimaa khalil reports.ellish combination of high temperatures, strong winds and dry conditions have made some of these fires too vast to control. a relentless battle for the firefighters. in victoria, as the blazes continue to rage, evacuees from mallacoota were getting ready to board the navy ship taking them to safety. a moment of relief after a harrowing few days stranded in the fire—ravaged town. the prime minister, scott morrison, has said 3000 reserve troops will be deployed to help tackle the raging bushfires across the country. the first time this has happened in australia's history. we have seen this disaster escalate to an entirely new level. temperatures have surpassed a0 celsius in parts of south—east australia, with residents in some areas of new south wales being told it was too late to escape. as the day went on, conditions worsened and a southerly wind hit. this gusty wind is now picking up very strongly and it is bringing heavy smoke to southern new south wales here on the coast. this is wh

our correspondent shaimaa khalil reports.ast and a race to escape the dangerous fire conditions to come. thousands of holiday—makers have been given 48 hours to escape the blazes before conditions worsen, but it hasn't been easy. families have heeded the calls to evacuate, but, because the conditions on the road are still very dangerous, there have been closures in different directions and now they tell us they feel stranded having evacuated those fire—raged towns, now unable to get home. you kind of have a feeling that you can't go forwards, you can't go backwards. and, really, you know, stuck between a burning rock and a burning rock, aren't you? just have to sit it out and hopefully, you know, don't get caught in the middle of a fire. some families were able to get away early in the morning before the road closures. this couple lost their house and had to take refuge in the lake across the road. the fireball came over the hill just opposite the lake. we thought we had a few minutes at least. we were hosing down the house a

shaimaa khalil reports. winds have done to towns across eastern australia. and this is what firefighters have been up against for weeks now. this crew trapped in their fire engine as they fight an impossible battle. in the coastal town of batemans bay in new south wales, residents have fled, taking shelter on the beach, desperately trying to escape the hellish fire conditions. 300 kilometres south in the state of victoria, thousands in mallacoota also escaped to the shores. at one point, people were told to jump in the water if the fire came their way. more than a dozen emergency level blazes, spanning 500 kilometres, have stretched across the two states of victoria and new south wales. several holiday spots along the coast have now been cut off and the main road in the region is closed. military aircraft and vessels could be sent to help rescue efforts and to bring aid to those trapped in the worst—hit areas. time and time again, people have told us that the scale of these fires is unlike anything they'd ev

shaimaa khalil reports.ed to be a day of danger and these bushfires have lived up to every emergency warning. the hellish combination of high temperatures, strong winds and dry conditions have made some of these blazes too vast to control. in kangaroo island, a famous holiday destination, a couple died trying to escape the inferno. they were found near their car. in victoria, as blazes continued to rage in the east, evacuees from mallacoota were getting ready to board the navy ship taking them to safety. a moment of relief, after a harrowing few days stranded in the fire—ravaged town. our only option was to go down to the foreshore and sit it out and at one stage we had 25 fire trucks with us. sorry... the prime minister, scott morrison, has said 3000 reserve troops will be deployed to help tackle the raging bush fires. the first time this has happened in australia's history. but this video he posted on twitter, showing the government's response, accompanied by upbeat music, drew angry criticism. many accusi

our correspondent shaimaa khalil is there for us.emergency has now come into effect in new south wales. the rural fire services, the power to mobilise resources on a federal level across the country that also people. the commissioner there said conditions we re commissioner there said conditions were going to be as bad or worse on saturday and people are now leaving, and it's been described as the worst and it's been described as the worst and largest mass evacuation in australia's history. a mass exodus from the devastation on the southern coast and a race to escape the dangerous fire conditions to come. thousands of holiday—makers have been given 48 hours to escape the blazes before conditions worsen, but it hasn't been easy. families have heeded the calls to evacuate, but, because the conditions on the road are still very dangerous, there have been closures in different directions and now they tell us they feel stranded having evacuated those fire—raged towns, now unable to get home. you kind of have a feeling that you can't go fo

shaimaa khalil, bbc news, lake conjola, new south wales.eature of australian summers but — as we've just reported — this season has seen some of the most intense and extensive fires ever. experts say it's difficult to pinpoint a single cause but three years of dry weather and the hottest temperatures on record last year clearly played a part. as our science editor david shukman reports. 0na on a terrifying scale and burning into many different areas to be stopped, the flames are causing a massive shock. even in a country thatis massive shock. even in a country that is used to fire. usually, the blazes strike scrubland. these are instead tearing into the forests which means the fires are hotter and taller and harder to tackle. for a sense of their size on a map of the uk here is that the vast area in australia that's burned so far. the impact has been devastating. with lives lost amongst firefighters and residents, more than 1000 homes destroyed and an estimated death toll among animals of 500 million. so, what's behind these fires? well, 20

shaimaa khalil reports.high temperatures, strong winds and dry conditions have made some of these fires too vast to control. a couple dry cut died trying to escape the inferno, they were found near the fire. in victoria, as the blazes continue to rage, evacuees from mallacoota were getting ready to board the navy ship taking them to safety. a moment of relief after a harrowing few days stranded in the fire—ravaged town. our only option was to go down to the foreshore and sit it out. we had 25 fire trucks with us at one time. sorry. the prime minister, scott morrison, has said 3000 reserve troops will be deployed to help tackle the raging bushfires across the country. the first time this has happened in australia's history. this is bringing heavy smoke on this coast. it found these places, making them unstoppable, but it also spreads the embers making the fire behaviour unpredictable. the howling winds and billowing smoke were enough of an alarm for people in this holiday park. some were hosing their cabins,

shaimaa khalil, bbc news, on the southern coast of new south wales.inary pictures from australia of a fire tornado. it was filmed on kangaroo island off the coast of southern australia, where an emergency warning has been issued. it is feared bushfires threaten to consume the entire national park. residents have been warned fires could move frighteningly quickly on saturday because of the extreme weather conditions. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: the killing of qasem soleimani is the hot topic on the us campaign trail. how will it affect the presidential election? we'll have the latest from washington. the japanese people are in mourning following the death of emperor hirohito. thousands converged on the imperial palace to pay their respects when it was announced he was dead. good grief! after half a century of delighting fans around the world, charlie brown and the rest of the gang are calling it quits. the singer paul simon starts his tour of south africa tomorrow in spite of protests and violence from some black activist groups. they say

shaimaa khalil, bbc news, on the southern coast of new south wales.authorities are turning to the technique of cloud seeding to try to stop more rain falling in the flood—hit capitaljakarta. planes have been sent to inject chemicals into clouds in an effort to alter the storms that have left large areas underwater. at least 43 people are known to have died, with some 192,000 evacuated from their homes. french police have shot dead a knifeman who killed one person and injured at least two others in a suburb south of paris. police said the man attacked several people in a park in the town of villejuif, which is five miles from central paris. he then fled the scene which was near a supermarket, before police said the knifeman was neutralised. a former mexican security minister, genaro garcia luna, has pleaded not guilty in a new york court to accusations of taking bribes to allow the sinaloa cartel to ship drugs into the united states. he was arrested in texas in december after a former cartel member testified that he had twice met him to hand over suitc

shaimaa khalil, bbc news, kangaroo island.illiams has won her first title in three years, beating herfellow americanjessica pegula in straight sets to take the auckland classic. it was the 38—year—old's first victory since becoming a mother. she said she would donate her prize money, and the dress she'd worn, to the australian bushfire appeal. you can see more on all of today's stories on the bbc news channel. the next news on bbc one is at quarter to six. bye for now. hello. you're watching the bbc news channel with martine. let's return to that meeting the queen has called at sandringham where the senior royals will try to find a role for the duke and duchess of sussex, who want to step back from their duties and spend more time in north america. david mcclure is an royal expert and author of "royal legacy", about the wealth of the royal family. i spoke to him earlier and he said a resolution won't be found quickly. we are going into totally new territory. it was tried maybe ten ago when prince edward tried to earn his own l

shaimaa khalil, bbc news, kangaroo island.ir bit of dry and fine weather on sunday it is all change over the next few days, very stormy weather on the cards with strong, destructive winds especially on a monday and into tuesday and heavy rain around at times as well. a few wintry showers across parts of scotla nd wintry showers across parts of scotland and this evening and overnight there will be some rain showers working across england and wales. generally clear skies, so quite a cold night with temperatures close to freezing in the north and frost free in the south first thing on monday. although monday start off on monday. although monday start off ona dry on monday. although monday start off on a dry know we have got storm brand approaching from the west. it will be a very windy day wherever you are, those winds picking up in the morning. some sunshine in central and eastern parts, but heavy rain working in from the west and gail is developing as well. further east it will be dry, winds gusting around 80 mph in the north w

shaimaa khalil, bbc news, kangaroo island.ix candidates in the labour leadership to gain the backing they need to get to the next stage of the contest. sir keir starmer, rebecca long bailey and lisa nandy have the required number of nominations, leaving emily thornberry and clive lewis lobbying to get the backing of at least 22 of their fellow labourmps and meps. jess phillips also has the required number. jess phillips also has the required number. registered supporters who are not full party members will have 48 hours from 14th to the 16th of january to secure a vote by paying £25. the ballot will be open from 21st february to the 2nd of april with the results announced two days later on the 11th april. 0ur political correspondent tony bonsignorejoins me now. tony, first of all, four of the people on the picture behind us are through this first stage. why are clive lewis and emily thornberry having difficulties securing enough support? that is a very good question and i am sure they are asking themselves and their teams that

shaimaa khalil, bbc news, kangaroo island.y disruptive weather over the next few days, straughan brandon is set to arrive and things will be windy and there will be heavy rain at times on monday and into tuesday, particularly in the south. largely quiet and clear conditions at the moment, some showers moving west to east across england and wales, dry from scotland and northern ireland, with clearing skies tonight, a chilly night, likely to see some frost, especially across the northern half of the british isles. on monday morning, most places largely dry and settled, but they went will pick up in the west, all down to this approaching storm system. lots of isobars on the weather system, indicating strong wind that we will see throughout the day. they went will pick up across the west of england, wales and scotland, northern ireland, with heavy rain working on from the west. dry in the

shaimaa khalil, bbc news, kangaroo island.d with the french president, emmanuel macron, and the german chancellor, angela merkel, in a fresh appeal to tehran to return to complying with the international nuclear deal. in iran, the british ambassador has strongly objected to his arrest during demonstrations last night. and james landale joins me in the studio. let's start off with that line about the nuclear deal. why are they so concerned? this deal, agreement made in 2015 between the international community and around to say iran, stop producing your nuclear programme and we will lift economic sanctions, this has been a death's tourfor sanctions, this has been a death's tour for a number of years sanctions, this has been a death's tourfor a number of years now sanctions, this has been a death's tour for a number of years now ever since 2019 when the americans pulled out their support. they said, we don't believe this is working any more, runs to destabilising the region, it is not doing enough. the europeans have disagreed, s

shaimaa khalil, bbc news, kangaroo island. ben croucher has all the sport. hello.ue where argentina's sergio aguero became the competition's all time leading overseas goalscorer. he bagged a hat—trick as manchester city thrashed aston villa 6—1. it was the 12th time he'd scored three or more in a league game, also a record. the win lifts city to second and leaves villa in the relegation zone. when these kind of things happen, how many hat—tricks and goals, it is not one season, two seasons, it is a long, long time. that is the real value, when you are consistent for a long time, like sergio has done, scoring goals all the time, with us right now, before and in the future. real madrid have won the revamped spanish super cup, beating atletico on penalties in jeddah. in the new format, being held for the first time at this time of the year in saudi arabia. neither real nor atletico won a domestic trophy last season. after winning through their semis, the final finished goalless. real scored all four of their penalties in the shootout whilst only kieran trippier conver

our correspondent shaimaa khalil reports.gency has now come into effect in new south wales. this gives the rural fire service the power to mobilise resources on a federal level across the country but also to evacuate people. the commissioner said these conditions are going to be just as bad, if not worse, on saturday. a mass exodus from the devastation on the southern coast and a race to escape the dangerous fire conditions to come. thousands of holiday—makers have been given 48 hours to escape the blazes before conditions worsen, but it hasn't been easy. families have heeded the calls to evacuate, but, because the conditions on the road are still very dangerous, there have been closures in different directions and now they tell us they feel stranded having evacuated those fire—raged towns, now unable to get home. you kind of have a feeling that you can't go forwards, you can't go backwards. and, really, you know, stuck between a burning rock and a burning rock, aren't you? just have to sit it out and hopefully, you know, don

shaimaa khalil reports. day of danger and these bushfires have lived up to every emergency warning. the hellish combination of high temperatures, strong winds and dry conditions have made some of these blazes too fast to control.

hotter weather is again forecast, which is likely to make the fires worse. 0ur correspondent shaimaa khalilden south of canberra — where many have fled to escape the flames. people in the fire zones finally got what they had wanted for me, some rain as respite. a breatherfor the firefighters ahead of hotter weather to come. but officials said the blazes would take off again. the picture in the fishing town of eden is different from it was at the weekend, this is what it looked like on saturday night. many people had left. 0thers stay, seeking safety by the water. eden became a makeshift evacuation centre when the fires came close to this town. people came here and shuttered in boats and cars and some in the open air to be close to the water. we have a role in the weather. the temperatures and the winds have dropped, we have rain which many people have been telling me they have been praying for but this is not going to last, authorities expect worse conditions later on in the week. that is really the story of these files. there are more to come and people are living in limbo. —— these files.

there are now scores of fires burning across new south wales and victoria. 0ur correspondent shaimaa khalilaround 140 miles south of sydney. there is a real sense of airiness here in ulladulla. this is one of the coastal towns in southern new south wales and it is part of the leave zone, where authorities have urged people to evacuate. normally at this time of year it would be very popular with holidaymakers, but has thousands of tourists and residents have heeded those calls to leave, it is very quiet. power has been cut off, and all the cafe is in response some shops have been closed. many are now gathering outside the evacuation centre here because it is too hot to be inside without power. now, despite these warnings, people have decided to stay and defend their homes. we‘ve been driving around and the main highway through this town has been cut off in both directions because there are fires burning north and south of here. the heat is getting up, the temperatures are picking up, iam up, the temperatures are picking up, i am already getting a bit of smoke as well. this is going to intens

another of our correspondents, shaimaa khalil, is in ulladulla, another of the areas under threat.te strongly here in the town of ulladulla, bringing this huge plume of smoke over and you can feel some ash in the air as well. people in this holiday park have abandoned their cabins and have come to the beach to seek refuge. some have said they are responding to messages from the police and fire services. others are hosing their cabins, just to be prepared. people say they feel relatively safe but are anxious, they don't know what will happen next and that has been the challenge. these fires are so unpredictable and nobody knows where they will hit next and how hard that will be. kangaroo island is a popular holiday spot, not farfrom adelaide. about a quarter of the total area has been destroyed. the island houses an important national park and is home to many unique wildlife species. sarah legge, professor of wildlife conservation at the australian national university in canberra, told us more. kangaroo island is one of australia's largest islands, it is the third largest after tasm

our correspondent, shaimaa khalil reports from one of the worst affected communities.xtent of the damage that these huge fires have caused here is all around. homes have been ravaged, the earth is scorched, still smouldering, still hot, you can feel the smoke. three people died in the small community alone, one of them just up the street over here. this is one of the coastal towns where tourists have been given 48 hours to evacuate. many of them have been trying to get out. it has been very ha rd trying to get out. it has been very hard for them to leave because the conditions around us are still quite hazardous. residents are still in shock at what happened to their town. some have left in the fires hit. stayed to defend their homes. and then we could see it coming and it was jumping from house to house. there were plants like... underneath the front or at the front of the houses and it had just... theyjust exploded into flames. and then there was embers everywhere and that house just, bang, it caught fire. they we re just, bang, it caught fire. they were going this w

shaimaa khalil, has spent the day in ulladulla in new south wales, one of the areas under threat. up quite strongly here in the town of ulladulla and that brought a huge plume of smoke over. you could also feel ash in the air as well. some people in this holiday park have abandoned their cabins and told me they are also responding to messages from the police and fire services. others are still hosing the cabins, the trees around them, just to be prepared. people tell me they feel relatively safe here but they are still quite anxious, they do not know what is going to happen next. that has really been the challenge. these fires are just so unpredictable and nobody knows where they're going to hit next and how hard that going to be. in south australia, two people have died on kangaroo island, a popular holiday spot not farfrom adelaide. the south australian premier steven marshall said about a quarter of the total area has been destroyed. the island houses an important national park and is home to many unique wildlife species. i'm joined now via webcam from nethy bridge near aviemor

another of our correspondents, shaimaa khalil, is in ulladulla, another of the areas under threat.te strongly here in the town of ulladulla, bringing this huge plume of smoke over and you can actually feel some ash in the air as well. people in this holiday park have abandoned their cabins and have come to the beach to seek refuge. some have told me they are also responding to messages from the police and from the fire services. others are still hosing their cabins and trees around them just to be prepared. people tell me they feel relatively safe here but they're still quite anxious, they don't know what will happen next and that has really been the challenge. these fires are just so unpredictable and nobody knows where they will hit next and how hard that's going to be. the headlines on bbc news: huge crowds join funeral processions in iraq, for iran's top military commander killed by a us drone strike. president trump says it was to stop a war not start one. fears that high winds and temperatures will push australia's bushfires towards heavily populated areas — thousands of rese

shaimaa khalil, bbc news, kangaroo island. now it's time for a look at the weather. good evening.e have got some potentially disruptive weather on the cards over the next couple of days. ston brendan arriving from the atlantic so things are set to turn particularly windy and there will be some heavy rain at times on monday and into tuesday, particularly in the south. we have got largely quiet and clear conditions out there at the moment, but a few showers moving their way west to east across england and wales, drier for scotland and for northern ireland. with the clearing skies tonight, quite a chilly night out there. we are likely to see a touch of frost, especially across the northern half of the british isles, but to start off your monday morning, most places largely dry and settled, but the winds already picking up in the west. all down to this approaching storm system, storm brendan. lots of isobars on the map, as you can see, indicating those really strong winds that we are going to see developing through the day. the winds picking up initially across western parts of englan

another of our correspondents, shaimaa khalil, is in ulla—dulla, another of the areas under threat.d up quite strongly here in the town, bringing this huge plume of smoke over and you can feel some ash in the air as well. people in this holiday park have abandoned their cabins and have come to the beach to seek refuge. some have said they are responding to messages from they are responding to messages from the police and fire services. others are hosting their cabins, just to be prepared. people they say they are relatively safe but feel anxious, they don't know what will happen next and that has been the challenge. these fires are so unpredictable and nobody knows where they will hit next and how hard that will be. over a thousand residents and tourists who had been stranded on a beach by bushfires in mallacoota, southeastern australia have landed near melbourne after a 20—hour journey on two ships. they arrived on the naval ships at the port of hastings. they were then transferred in buses to two relief centres. we couldn't go west, we couldn't go east. in the end we couldn't go a

shaimaa khalil reports.ger, and his bushfires have lapped up to everyone. the conditions have made some of these places too vast to control. in a kangaroo island, a fee might scare famous holiday destination, a couple died trying to escape the inferno. they were found near the car. in victoria, as bruises continue to rage in it is, if iqs were getting ready to board the navy ship taking them to safety. in moments of relief after a harrowing few days are stranded in at the fire ravaged town. our only option was to go down to the foreshore and sit it out. and at one stage, we had 25 a harrowing few days stranded in the fire ravaged town. our only option was to go down town. our only option was to go down to the foreshore and sit it out. and at one stage, we had 25 fire trucks with us. sorry. the prime minister has said it 3000 reserve trips will be deployed to help tackle the routing bushfires. the first time this has happened in australia's history. this gusty wind is not picking up very strongly, and it is f

we're joined now by our sydney correspondent shaimaa khalil — shaimaa, what do we know so far?en we are reporting on what's happening with these bushfires. the new south wales premier made that point, that this latest tragedy is assigned, an indicator the dangerous conditions that many of the firefighters and crewmembers are working under. we also got a confirmation the three crew members are from the united states because it was contracted from a company in the us and there were no survivors. the rfs commissioner shane fitzsimmons says a huge fireball emerged as the plane crashed into the ground. he also said this was an area just south of canberra where fires have been burning out of control and that smoke there was quite heavy with very low visibility and the plane was there. the planes and the plane was there. the planes and helicopters are crucial in that fight. it is a huge loss obviously of life but of course for the firefighting efforts as well. again, an indicator of how dangerous the firefighting conditions and the conditions in general are as the summer goes conditio

shaimaa khalil, bbc news, on the southern coast of new south wales.uled that ethical veganism is a philosophical belief and should therefore receive similar legal protections to religion. the decision is part of a case brought by a vegan man who says he was sacked by the league against cruel sports for his beliefs. they argue he was dismissed was for gross misconduct. our legal correspondent clive coleman is here. explain what this means. extraordinary case. jordi casamitjana alleges that when he told his bosses at the league against cruel sports that some of that pension funds were invested in companies involved in la animal testing they did nothing, he told his colleagues and he claims he was sacked as a result of his pagan belief. today is the first time that an employment tribunal has ruled that ethical legalism is a philosophical belief, a kin to a religion, and so protected under equality law. i say it is ethical legalism and not dietary beginners and. mr casamitjana does not get on buses, for instance, forfear and. mr casamitjana does not get o

like we were actually doing something rather than just sitting and waiting. 0ur correspondent shaimaa khalilin new south wales — she says thousands of people whose homes have been ravaged by the fires are trapped and unable to move from the area. this part of the princes highway is the only access in and out of the devastated areas on the southern coast of new south wales. it's been completely cut off, this is as close as we can get. we are told there is a bushfire further down the road and firefighters are trying to control it, prevent it from coming closer and covering more bushland. what that means, though, is that thousands of people in the areas that have been ravaged by the blazes are still trapped there, unable to move. for example, in the coastal town of batemans bay, people there have been encircled by a ring of fire and they are unable to move anywhere. there are water shortages, food shortages, telecoms are down, power is down. they are unable to communicate with relatives and we saw family members on our way here that were really worried and trying to get in but are unable to do

shaimaa khalil, bbc news, lake conjola, new south wales.ienced bushfires throughout the summer over many years, but the ferocity and intensity have not been on this scale before. 0ur science editor david shukman has been investigating how the fires reached this level of destructive power. on a terrifying scale, and burning in too many different areas to be stopped, the flames are causing a massive shock — even in a country that's used to fire. usually, the blazes strike scrubland. these are instead tearing into the forests, which means the fires are hotter and taller, and harder to tackle. for a sense of their size, on a map of the uk, here's the vast area in australia that has burned so far. the impact has been devastating, with lives lost among firefighters and residents, more than 1,000 homes destroyed and an estimated death toll among animals of 500 million. so, what's behind these fires? well, 2019 was the country's hottest year on record. and the higher the temperature is, the greater the risks, because fires start more easily as plan

our correspondent shaimaa khalil is in balmoral in new south wales.ss victoria and here in new south wales, rainfall has come as a much welcome respite. here in the town of balmoral, i've been told that up until only three days ago some of these trees were still smouldering. so, yes, the rain has come as a much—needed change in the weather, but can it actually help with the fires that are still burning? so, we want at least another couple of days' minimum of decent rain that we've had today. that would have a big effect on the fire itself, potentially, hopefully, to either if not stop it, quieten it down quite dramatically. well, i guess, locally, for us here in balmoral, the clean—up comes to a standstill, because the machinery working in the mud, i guess, causes its own problems, the risk of trees falling over, the risk is high again with the wet ground and the wind there. there are concerns that wet weather could bring about landslides and flash flooding, and in fire—affected areas, rain could then push debris of soil, of rocks and of ash into rese

windy conditions are forecast for south—eastern australia in the days ahead. 0ur correspondent shaimaa khalilnjola, 70 miles west of canberra, in an area where the fires have claimed three lives. the extent of the damage that these huge fires have caused here, in lake conjola, is all around. homes have been ravaged, the earth is scorched, still smouldering, still hot. you can feel the smoke. three people died in this small community alone, one of them just up the street over here. this is one of the coastal towns where tourists have been given 48 hours to evacuate. many of them have been trying to get out. it has been very hard for them to leave because the conditions around us are still quite hazardous. residents are still in shock at what happened to their town. some have left, when the fires hit, others stayed to defend their homes. and then we could see it coming and it wasjumping from house to house. there were plants, like, underneath the front or the front of the houses, and they'd just explode into flames, and then they was embers everywhere. and then thatjust — bang — it just caught