Four-year-old boy dies in WA house fire
A heartbroken Western Australian family is mourning the death of a four-year-old boy who died in a house fire just days before Christmas.
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Ready to burn: travellers urged to reconsider travel
Millions of residents and travellers across the country are being warned to be on high alert as the risk of Christmas-week infernos intensifies.
Christmas inferno fears spark total fire bans
Total fire bans have been declared in two states over the Christmas break as emergency services prepare for the worst conditions since Black Summer.
Third town told to leave immediately as bushfire rages
Residents in the Grampians towns of Bornes Hill, Moyston and Pomonal have been told to leave immediately and seek shelter as a bushfire threat is imminent.
Wind change fans unpredictable fires as towns evacuated
Dozens of communities have been urged to leave or take shelter as an out-of-control bushfire was fuelled further by gusty winds on a day of extreme conditions.
Two fighting for life after suspicious house blaze
Three residents are in hospital, with two of them in a critical condition, after a house fire authorities suspect was deliberately lit.
Bushfire rages but cool change a chance to check damage
The threat of bushfires will linger in Victoria's already-scorched Grampians region even after hot and windy conditions move north.
Bushfire destroys homes as calmer conditions on horizon
Stable conditions and cooler weather are giving firefighters welcome relief as initial damage assessments reveal at least three homes have been lost to fire.
Financial help on its way as bushfires hit livelihoods
Farmers, tourism operators and others suffering income loss following a huge bushfire will be eligible for financial support.
Fire threat high despite cool relief as states swelter
Temperatures are starting to ease after a blast of heat sent the mercury soaring past 45C in parts of Victoria, NSW, Queensland and South Australia.
PM lashes anti-Semitic attacks as evil and disgraceful
Anthony Albanese has delivered an impassioned call for Australians to unite around common values and respect after two attacks on Jewish communities.
‘Climate whiplash’: threat rises of cascading disasters
Australians are being put on alert: our summers are becoming more erratic, with experts forecasting a season of heavy rain and warm weather - and bushfires.
Synagogue arson attack sparks manhunt, security plea
Australia's Jewish community has called for better security around its places of worship after two masked arsonists set fire to a major synagogue.
Worshippers escape ‘devastating’ synagogue attack
A congregant says the Jewish community has been "hit in the heart" after fire gutted one of Melbourne's largest synagogues within the space of an hour.
Mix of quiet sorrow and anger over synagogue attack
A member of a Jewish community targeted in a firebomb attack says the damage to the Adass Israel Synagogue is a cause of great anguish.
Blackened shell a reminder of Holocaust devastation
Members of the Jewish community have gathered in solidarity after a synagogue was firebombed by two men who are on the run from police.
‘Evil’ synagogue fire declared likely terrorism
The firebombing of a synagogue was likely an 'evil' and politically motivated terror attack, authorities say, as police search for three suspects.
Map reveals Australian hotspots at risk of bushfire
Cyclones, floods, heatwaves and bushfires - authorities are warning large parts of Australia are at increased risk this summer and people need to be prepared.
Home lost, people told to flee Great Ocean Road towns
Tourists have been evacuated and people in Great Ocean Road towns have been told to leave immediately as Victoria's bushfire emergency claims at least one home.
Bushfires ease but too early to tally property losses
Fire crews have made ground in battling blazes in Victoria's west and southwest, declaring one contained and slowing another.
Country town in sights after fire burns home, bridge
A bushfire is heading towards a north Queensland town after burning for days and destroying a home, prompting a "prepare to leave" warning.
Probe into Qantas ‘loud bang’ engine fail, runway fire
Passengers heard a loud bang as a Qantas jet suffered engine failure on take-off, sparking a grass fire, emergency landing and hours of chaos at Sydney Airport.
Residents told stay away as fire burns out of control
Hundreds of residents who evacuated their Queensland town are being told it's unsafe to return as firefighters battle to contain a bushfire threatening homes.
Blaze that killed girl, babysitter ‘not suspicious’
Police have ruled a fire that killed an eight-year-old girl and her babysitter as not suspicious with investigations remaining ongoing.
Dire warning on Australia’s disaster response readiness
Australia's emergency response system is in need of widespread reform if the nation is to keep up with the growing threat of natural disasters.
More than 100,000 Kia cars recalled due to fire risk
Owners of 10 Kia model vehicles are being urged to park them away from flammable structures after the discovery of a serious fire risk with an electrical part.
Tributes grow for girl, babysitter killed in fire
Tributes are gathering outside a home east of Brisbane after a blaze killed an eight-year-old girl and her 31-year-old babysitter.
Election hopefuls urged to tackle severe weather threat
Governments should stem the decline in emergency service volunteers as climate change threatens more and increasingly severe natural disasters, a report says.
Child dead, person missing after fire at unit complex
A child has died and another person is missing after an early morning fire at a unit complex in Brisbane.
Second body found after fire, babysitter believed dead
A second body found in a burnt-out home is believed to be the woman who was babysitting an eight-year-old girl who died in the fire.
Firefighters to backburn overnight as fire threat eases
Residents in parts of Sydney's Northern Beaches are being urged to monitor conditions after the threat from an 80-hectare fire was downgraded.