Bushfires

Firefighters are responding to bushfires in Perth's north and south that are threatening lives and homes on a sweltering spring day.

Residents left devastated by a bushfire crisis that destroyed homes in the Adelaide Hills in 2021 confront the firebug in court, telling the former CFS volunteer of their grief and terror.

A legal bid to halt logging in two NSW state forests scorched during Black Summer has failed after the court ruled evidence about the impact on koalas could not be considered.

Huge bushfires in central Australia have ignited discussions about the role of buffel grass in increasing fire risks ahead of a recommendation on whether or not the plant should be declared a weed in the Northern Territory.

A 75-year-old lifelong volunteer firefighter who died while battling a bushfire burning in the New South Wales north-west has been remembered as a "committed life member" of the Rural Fire Service. 

The volunteer firefighter was working near Walgett in NSW when he was struck by a fallen tree and later died in hospital. 

Close to 200 vehicles used by Victoria's volunteer firefighting organisation are more than 30 years old, leaving some rural brigade leaders worried about the safety of their teams heading into summer.

Residents feared the worst and firefighters were stretched to their limits as they fought bushfires during heatwave conditions near Rockhampton this week, with police investigating eight fires that ignited Tuesday night.

An emergency warning has been downgraded for the Hudson bushfire burning in the Narran Lake Reserve in north-west New South Wales, but authorities are bracing for similar conditions on Thursday.

Snake catcher Rex Neindorf says recent bushfires have pushed higher numbers of deadly snakes into Alice Springs as they look for food in people's backyards and kitchens.

Winds have hampered the efforts of crews working to control a bushfire which has destroyed at least two homes and forced residents to evacuate from a Tasmanian coastal community.

Authorities say it is too late for residents to leave Dolphin Sands, with an emergency warning in place.  

Kristy-Lee Lucke says realising her eight-year dream to become a firefighter got off to an "intimidating" start when her crew was called to a bushfire emergency.

Ben Hayes says 60 per cent of his vast Central Australian cattle station has been burnt as the Northern Territory reports that an area five times the size of Tasmania has already been scorched this season.

Firefighters and property owners give thanks for a large downpour that has helped quell a ferocious fire that tore through more than 200,000 hectares and sparked evacuations.

Researchers are using 3D visualisation games to help people in northern Australia prepare for the threat of fire and build resilience. This is how they work.

A NSW cultural area crucial to the initiation of Indigenous boys on their journey to manhood is reopening years after the Black Summer bushfires.

A man who lit bushfires and filmed videos pledging his loyalty to Islamic State is found guilty of terrorism-related offences, but his older brother will walk free after being cleared by a jury. 

Firefighting services across WA are being stretched to the limit with dozens of blazes burning already, in a bushfire season the emergency services commissioner says is up to eight weeks ahead of schedule. 

Memories of Black Summer remain strong for many in this South East Queensland region, where heavy fuel loads and parched conditions have locals preparing for the worst.

Personnel at the Harold E Holt Naval Communication Station are evacuated as a defence spokesperson says the blaze has caused damage to the facility.

Queensland graziers are being urged to sell their cattle as the state's bushfire emergency exacerbates an already dire national feed shortage.

WA's emergency services minister says it is likely fire crews will be able to control bushfires burning south of Perth over the coming days, with an emergency warning downgraded for Serpentine. 

With his 14-year-old dog Zaba in his arms, "Buddy" McDonald Dodd quietly surveys the ruins of the house he dashed from as flames from the Tara bushfires came through the back door. But the 27-year RFS veteran is determined to rebuild in the community he loves.

As hot and dry weather conditions approach with the onset of El Nino, emergency services in communities across Australia urge residents to be alert.