Early Bushfires Destroy Homes on Central Coast Despite La Niña Forecast: Colleague Jeremy Zakis reports that despite forecasts of a wet La Niña summer, New South Wales is facing intense early bushfires driven by high winds and hot, dry conditions; a fire near Kulaw on the Central Coast has already destroyed 12 homes, spreading rapidly through ground scrub and airborne embers that bypass firebreaks, with the region's eucalyptus trees exacerbating the danger as their oil can overheat and explode like "Roman candles," threatening densely vegetated tourist areas and local wildlife populations including koalas.
1907 ADELAIDE