Authorities in Australia’s Queensland and New South Wales states on Monday declared a state of emergency as the country’s eastern region prepared for “catastrophic” fire conditions. Fires in northern New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland over the weekend killed three people and destroyed more than 150 homes. While Australia’s most populous city Sydney avoided the worst of the weekend conditions, temperatures are set to soar to more than 34 degrees Celsius (93 degrees Fahrenheit), with strong, dry winds.
