Australian Fires Prompt Questions About Protecting Houses From Embers
Massive Australian wildfires are sending embers high into the atmosphere. When they rain down, they can start new fires far from the original source, and some buildings are more flammable than others.
Embers are raining down on communities across Australia.
"The strong winds of a thunderstorm came through, but instead of raining water it was raining embers," one resident told The Sydney Morning Herald. Another described how, as he and his family tried to evacuate on New Year's Eve, "burning embers started falling and houses were starting to get lost."
More than have died in wildfires that started burning in Australia in September. In recent weeks, fires on the east coast of the country have spread quickly with the help of hot-dry weather, burning through millions of acres and forcing thousands of residents have been destroyed.
