"Catastrophic" fire threat prompts state of emergency in Australia

The premier of New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, declared a state of emergency on Monday, amid unprecedented bushfires burning across the country's east coast and "catastrophic" fire conditions forecast for Tuesday.For the first time since fire danger ratings were revised in 2009, authorities forecast the highest level for the greater Sydney region and surrounding areas, including the World Heritage-listed Greater Blue Mountains Area.Three people were confirmed dead and more than 150 homes gutted in northern New South Wales, and the state of Queensland to the north, over the…READ FULL ARTICLE