A light plane crashed in Australia's Queensland state, killing three firefighters onboard. Police said that the light plane contracted by Queensland fire.
Bolts of so-called dry lightning - produced by thunderstorms with little rain - are complicating the task by setting off a string of fires in the state s dry bushland, the fire service said.
Bushfires in Australia s Victoria state have tripled in size overnight due to high winds, prompting authorities to urge residents to evacuate. The fires have spread across 17,000 hectares of land and are proving difficult to contain. In Tasmania, residents have been told to evacuate due to an out of control bushfire. Hot and dry conditions across the country are fueling the fires, with Australia experiencing its driest September on record.