Australian’s On Coast Urged To Flee

TOMERONG, Australia (AP) – Residents in the path of wildfires razing southeast Australia have been urged to evacuate if they don’t intend to defend their homes as hot and windy conditions are forecast to escalate the danger over the next two days. Authorities told fire-weary communities south of Sydney that northwesterly winds were likely to once again drive blazes toward the coast. Vacationers have retreated to beaches and into the ocean in the area in recent weeks as fires encroached on towns, scorching sand dunes in places. Last year was Australia’s hottest and driest on record, and a climate monitoring official said an upcoming increase in rainfall wouldn’t be enough to snuff out the blazes anytime soon.