Wildfires rage across southeast Australia, with authorities warning of "catastrophic" conditions in some areas.
Wildfires Rage Across Australia
![Wildfire smoke rises from hills behind the village of Numeralla in New South Wales state, Australia, January 8, 2013.](https://gdb.voanews.com/333FE728-6BF5-4F66-B818-91C09032E131_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Wildfire smoke rises from hills behind the village of Numeralla in New South Wales state, Australia, January 8, 2013.
![Smoke rises from the Yarrabin bushfire, burning out of control near Cooma, about 100 kilometers south of Canberra, Australia, January 8, 2013.](https://gdb.voanews.com/209D48C3-38FD-4CA5-A05D-3A8464570101_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Smoke rises from the Yarrabin bushfire, burning out of control near Cooma, about 100 kilometers south of Canberra, Australia, January 8, 2013.
![Police Rescue Helicopter crewman Matthew Drumm looks at a wildfire in Dunalley, east of Hobart, Australia, January 5, 2013.](https://gdb.voanews.com/91423DE7-2ADC-42E2-A891-E604EC6DF0A0_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Police Rescue Helicopter crewman Matthew Drumm looks at a wildfire in Dunalley, east of Hobart, Australia, January 5, 2013.
![Houses destroyed by a wildfire are seen in ruins in Dunalley, east of Hobart, Australia, January 5, 2013.](https://gdb.voanews.com/163BE7C3-B352-43A1-9425-A2EA69B54D22_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Houses destroyed by a wildfire are seen in ruins in Dunalley, east of Hobart, Australia, January 5, 2013.