Evacuations are taking place across the Australian state of New South Wales as massive bushfires continue to burn.
Towns, holiday resorts and national parks have all been affected and the flames have stretched as far as the outskirts of Sydney.
A dense pall of smoke is hanging over the city and the NSW fire chief has warned that the situation is grave.
An estimated 5,000 firefighters, backed up by helicopters and water bombing planes, are trying to bring the fires under control.
Around 70 bushfires are raging. The firefighters' task has been made more difficult by the high temperatures, which have reached 40 degrees in places.
In Queensland, five elderly people have died from heart attacks induced by the effects of heat exhaustion.
