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Australia fires: Fear there could be a 'mega blaze'

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Australia fires: How did they start and why are they so bad?

There are fears that fires burning in the states of Victoria and New South Wales could come together to create a "mega blaze".

There has been rain and lower temperatures forecast for the next few days which has brought temporary relief as huge bushfires continue to burn across Australia.

But officials are worried that three huge bushfires, currently burning on either side of the New South Wales border will join together when high temperatures return later in the week and form a "mega blaze".

On Monday morning, there were only around 10km (6.2 miles) between a blaze in Victoria's Corryong and two burning at Kosciuszko National Park in New South Wales.

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Authorities are trying to provide supplies for thousands of people driven from their homes by the fires and millions of pounds have been raised to help them.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said more than 100,000 Australian dollars (£53,000) would be released for disaster relief and thousands of troops would be sent in to help fight the fires.