After the unseasonably hot weather in parts of Australia this week – leading to the hottest August day in Sydney in 7 years yesterday – residents in the city’s southwest got an early fire season preview… About 80 firefighters were called to a blaze that threatened homes at Horningsea Park yesterday afternoon but they managed to bring it under control. The Bureau of Meteorology’s Angus Hines said the mercury climbed to 28.1C at lunchtime in the CBD – and that, combined with high winds, meant Sydney and the Illawarra’s fire danger ratings were high. “It is very windy, very warm, very sunny – all the things that contribute to fire danger,” Hines said. Further south, strong winds caused damage to buildings and infrastructure in South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania. That cold front is now on its way north…