Fighting fires and evacuations now tops Australian government's agenda
05:40

Thousands of tourists in southeastern Australia have been given less than 48 hours to evacuate seaside towns as the region braces for extreme heat forecast for the weekend. Bushfires have destroyed more than 10 million acres of land in the state of New South Wales alone. And new blazes are sparked almost every day by extremely hot and windy conditions. Military ships and helicopters have been deployed for rescue operations in affected areas. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said fighting the fires and evacuations are the government's top priority now. Our correspondent Catherine James reports from Sydney.