Climate change partly to blame for early bushfire season

New analysis confirms the relationship between climate drivers such as El Nino, climate change and the Australian bushfire season

Summer might be more than six weeks away but out-of-control bushfires have already torn across parts of eastern Australia in recent days, killing two people, destroying homes and threatening more lives.

By Wednesday afternoon up to 30 homes were feared lost or badly damaged by bushfires burning in northern New South Wales. About 40 fires burned across the state.