Scorching heat baking Australia eased on Monday bringing relief from extreme bushfires, which destroyed around 180 houses and killed one person over the weekend, allowing fire and emergency personnel to begin assessing the damage caused.
The town of Balmoral, south of Sydney, with a population of 400 and 150 houses, was virtually destroyed, authorities said.
There are currently nearly 100 fires are burning across New South Wales state. Temperatures hit a record 41 degrees Celsius (105 degrees Fahrenheit) last week as an extreme heatwave swept across the country and a long-running drought in the country’s east has created tinder-dry conditions.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who has recently faced criticism for his vacation to Hawaii, gave an interview earlier today