Wildfires threaten America

Australian wildfires have destroyed homes and killed cattle - news which was reported by Reuters in March this year.  They have caused extensive damage in rural areas of Victoria and New South Wales (NSW).  The fires, believed to have been sparked by lightning, were fanned by dry, hot winds as temperatures reached 41 degrees Celsius (106 F) throughout a single day.

Guardian - Photograph: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

In July, it is America that is suffering the effects of the extreme temperatures, aided by high winds, which has caused havoc along much of the west coast of the country.  NASA reports just one of these fires taking 2000 personnel to bring it under control.  The situation is worse in California, where over 2700 people are fighting one of the wildfires which has driven many thousands from their homes.
 ​"Climate change is continuing to unfold,” said Anthony LeRoy Westerling, (a professor of management of complex systems at the University of California).