Wildfires

Wildfires - Australia

Firefighters worked into the night on Friday to contain a bushfire outside Canberra in treacherous conditions. The fire had burnt through 147 hectares and was seven kilometers away from Kambah on Canberra's western outskirts by Saturday morning but no homes were threatened.

In New South Wales, meanwhile, a raging fire that broke out at the edge of a major highway caused disruption for commuters traveling home Friday afternoon. The bushfire came dangerously close to the Pacific Highway in Freemans Waterhole, a small town west of Lake Macquarie, about 3pm.

Fire warnings are also in place in Swanston in eastern Tasmania where a 600 hectare blaze has been exacerbated by strong winds.