Pictures: Wildfires Scorch Australia Amid Record Heat

Aftermath

Photograph by Rob Blakers, European Pressphoto Agency

Eleven-year-old Zac Palmer stands in the remains of his grandparents' home in Boomer Bay, Tasmania, on January 8.

Residents in southern Tasmania have been urged to seek refuge from the fires, which have burned 50,000 acres (20,000 hectares) of forests and farmland across the region, according to the AP. (Also see "Coal-Fired Australia, Buffeted by Climate Change, Enacts Carbon Tax.")

Published January 8, 2013

Battling the Blaze

Photograph by Gary Ramage, Newspix/Rex

Firefighters tackle a grass fire in New South Wales, Australia, on January 7.

Fires have swept through more than 74,000 acres (30,000 hectares) in New South Wales, where officials closed state forests and national parks and issued a total fire ban, the AP reported. (See National Geographic's wildfire safety tips.)

Published January 8, 2013

Stranded

Photograph by Rob Blakers, European Pressphoto Agency

The charred remains of a boat litter a jetty in Boomer Bay, Tasmania, on January 8, after a wildfire scorched the region.

Wildfires are common in Australia in the summer, but severe heat has made them worse.

On January 7, Australia saw its hottest day on record—an average high temperature of 104.6ºF (40.33ºC), according to the Australian Associated Press. (Also see "July Hottest Month on Record in U.S.—Warming and Drought to Blame?")

Published January 8, 2013

Shaky Ground

Photograph by Julian Smith, European Pressphoto Agency

A kangaroo hops across burned ground in Sunbury, Victoria, on January 8.

A few people have been treated for minor burns and smoke inhalation in Victoria state, where fires killed 173 people and destroyed more than 2,000 homes in February 2009. (See picture: "Koala Rescued From Australia Fires [2009].")

Published January 8, 2013

Out of Harm's Way

Photograph by Rob Blakers, European Pressphoto Agency

Children play at the Hobart Evacuation Centre in the Tasmanian state capital of Hobart on January 6.

Thousands of people from the worst-hit areas along the Tasman Peninsula (map) have traveled by boat to the evacuation center. The ocean was their only option after raging fires cut off other means of escape. (Watch video: "Fighting Wildfires.")

Published January 8, 2013

Devastation

Photograph by Chris Kidd, Pool/AFP/Getty Images

An aerial photograph taken on January 5 shows devastation left by a wildfire that raged through Dunalley and Boomer Bay, Tasmania.

The hot, dry run is expected to continue for at least a week, Aaron Coutts-Smith, of Australia's Bureau of Meteorology, told the Australian Associated Press. (See video: "Wildfire Photographer.")

"What makes this event quite exceptional is how widespread and intense it's been," he told the agency.

"We have been breaking records across all states and territories in Australia over the course of the event so far."

Published January 8, 2013

Surveying the Aftermath

Photograph by Matthew Newton, Newspix/Rex

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard visits the remains of the Dunalley Primary School in Dunalley, Tasmania, on January 7.

"We live in a country that is hot and dry and where we sustain very destructive fires periodically," Gillard told reporters during her visit, according to the AP.

"Whilst you would not put any one event down to climate change ... we do know over time that as a result of climate change we are going to see more extreme weather events and conditions."

Published January 8, 2013

See More Wildfire Pictures

Photograph by Marc Piscotty, Reuters

Published January 8, 2013