Iconic Photo Emerges as Aussie Fires Rage

As wildfires tear through southeastern Australia, one family survived a near-death experience—and snapped photos in the process. Tim and Tammy Holmes were babysitting five grandkids when flames conquered their Tasmanian town, forcing them to take refuge under a jetty. Tim caught a stunning image of Tammy holding two grandchildren, ages two and four, while three others, none older than 11, held on nearby, the Guardian reports. Three of the kids couldn't swim.

"We saw tornadoes of fire just coming across toward us and the next thing we knew everything was on fire," Tim told the Australian ABC News. At the jetty, "there was only about probably 200 to 300 millimeters of air above the water. So we were all just heads, water up to our chins, just trying to breathe." Meanwhile, flames are drawing near a former military bombing range, where plenty of unexploded bombs remain, the BBC reports. Firefighters believe they'll be able to stop the blaze before it hits the area. Monday was Australia's hottest day ever, at a national average of 104.59 degrees, the Guardian adds. The country is now so hot its weather map can't keep up. (More Australia stories.)