The Australia Letter is a weekly newsletter from our Australia bureau.  Sign up to get it by email.  This week’s issue is written by Isabella Kwai, a reporter with the Australia bureau. 

Australia is burning, and the worst is yet to come. 

Bushfires raged through the east coast last weekend, setting the tone for the week as schools closed and those living in danger zones prepared to evacuate on an especially hot, windy Tuesday.  Since then, at least four people have died and dozens of homes have been destroyed as firefighters have battled more than 80 fires. 

But the country has been burning for a while, experts say.  Fire seasons, once limited largely to the summer months, are stretching longer and the land is growing drier, providing plenty of fuel.  While the country’s political leaders trade insults over climate change, experts say that without more resources and interventions, living in bushland will come at a cost. 

When Matthew Abbott, a photographer who regularly contributes to The New York Times, heard about the fires, he jumped in the car. 

On Tuesday, he headed for Taree, a town in northern New South Wales hit by the worst of the fires.  I asked him about his experience documenting the battle that firefighters have waged in the area.