Aerials show bush fire on Kangaroo Island

Australian authorities issued an emergency warning for a bushfire on a popular tourist island off the South Australian coast.

The state's Country Fire Service have said strong winds, hot temperatures and dry conditions caused the blaze on Kangaroo Island's Flinders Chase National Park.

Waterbombing aircraft helped to extinguish the blaze on the island's west, which had burnt more than 10,000 hectares (38 square miles) of land as of Friday.

Authorities downgraded a second fire to the east from an emergency to a 'watch and act' level.

Bushfires are also continuing to burn in most Australian states.

About 5 million hectares (12.35 million acres) of land have burned, at least 19 people have been killed, and more than 1,400 homes have been destroyed nationwide since September.