Tasmania wildfires rage as heat wave across Australia persists

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This aerial photograph taken on January 5 shows Westpac Police Rescue Helicopter crewman Sgt. Matthew Drumm surveying the devastated town of Dunalley after wildfires swept through the area.
- [/AFP/Getty Images]
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The devastated town of Dunalley, where about 70 homes were destroyed.
- [/AFP/Getty Images]
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More than 100 buildings were destroyed in the wildfires that swept through southern Tasmania.
- [/AFP/Getty Images]
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The town of Dunalley was the worst-hit by the wildfires. About 70 homes were destroyed and the main street was razed.
- [/AFP/Getty Images]
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This aerial photograph taken on January 5 shows the devastation to property between Dunalley and Boomer Bay after wildfires swept through the area.
- [/AFP/Getty Images]
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Sydneysiders and tourists flocked to Bondi beach on January 4. Extreme heat affected most of the country last week in the most wide-ranging heat wave in more than a decade.
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Melbourne residents flocked to St Kilda Beach on January 3 as temperatures hovered above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) for several consecutive days.
- [Scott Barbour/Getty Images]

More than 40 wildfires continue to rage in the Australian island state of Tasmania today as a heat wave across the country persists.

After a brief respite over the weekend, weather forecasters expect extreme temperatures to return this week.