Australia bolsters bushfire defences as costs mount

Environmental catastrophe: A kangaroo is seen at the Flinders Chase National Park in a bushfire-affected area on Kangaroo Island, southwest of Adelaide. The latest official data showed that more than 10.3 million ha, an area the size of South Korea, has been razed by bushfires in recent weeks.

SYDNEY: Australian firefighters used a break from searing temperatures to strengthen containment lines around huge wildfires burning in the country’s southeast, as the financial and environmental costs of the crisis mounted.

The latest official data showed that more than 10.3 million hectares (25.5 million acres) of land across the continent - an area the size of South Korea - has been razed by bushfires in recent weeks.