Fires bring air quality drop, fight to save animals

Thick smoke haze caused by wildfires across Australia's Victoria state shrouded Melbourne on Tuesday elevating the city's air quality to hazardous levels. City buildings and waterways were hardly visible prompting authorities to advise against outdoor activity. Victoria state Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton told reporters that the air quality in  Melbourne ranked as the worst in the world in the early hours of Tuesday.

Meanwhile, a disaster response team from animal charity Humane Society International Australia has been dispatched to the devastated Kangaroo Island to search and rescue wildlife.