<br /> <p>Thick smoke rose from a fire burning in New South Wales’s Hunter Valley on Thursday, December 14, as temperature in parts of the state soared to around 40 degree Celsius.</p><p>The bushfire, which started near Cessnock, had scorched more than 260 hectares and was moving towards the southeast, according to local media</a>. Credit: Twitter/Grant McIntyre via Storyful</p><br />
