Australia on standby for fire threat as heat, winds return

FILE PHOTO: A fallen tree rests on a burned car after a wildfire destroyed the Kangaroo Valley Bush Retreat in Kangaroo Valley, New South Wales, Australia, January 23, 2020. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian authorities warned on Friday of severe fire danger in densely populated areas this weekend, declaring a state of emergency in the capital, Canberra, as soaring temperatures and strong whipped up huge, unpredictable blazes.

With temperatures above 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), emergency officials urged people to prepare for fires in parts of the southeast including hundreds of miles of coast south of Sydney that has already been badly hit in months of blazes.