Australians flee as soaring temperature, winds threaten to fan fires

Residents in parts of eastern Australia evacuated their homes on Tuesday as soaring temperatures and strong winds threatened to fan bushfires in a giant blaze north of Sydney, the country's biggest city.Air quality in parts of Sydney plunged as the city awoke to another thick blanket of smoke, disrupting transport services and prompting health warnings from authorities.More than 100 fires are ablaze in New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria states in eastern Australia, many of which have been burnin