Australian bushfires merge into 'mega blaze' as weather worsens

Gale-force winds merged two enormous bushfires in south-east Australia into a megablaze on Friday as thousands of people abandoned their homes for evacuation centres and military helicopters dropped emergency supplies to towns at risk of being cut off. The danger is centred on New South Wales and neighbouring Victoria, Australia’s most populous states, where temperatures and wind speeds rose after a few days of relatively benign conditions. "The conditions are difficult today," said Shane Fitzsimmons, rural fire service commissioner for New South Wales state. "It's the hot, dry winds that will prove once again to be the real challenge." Temperatures soared above 40°C...