The Australian navy evacuated around 1,000 tourists and residents who were trapped in the fire-ravaged town of Mallacoota on the Victoria coast.

Some 4,000 residents and tourists fled to the beach on Monday night, when bushfires encircled the town.

High temperatures and strong winds are forecast for the weekend, leading to what officials call "widespread extreme fire danger".

Is this a manifestation of the threat posed by climate change?

John Gibbons is an environmental journalist, and explained to Ivan why things could get worse.