Eucalyptus trees cover more than three-quarters of Australia's forested area and almost all of the hundreds of species are native to the island nation.
Strips of bark that hang off the trunk and the branches can ignite and carry a fire up the tree and can spread through the forest on the wind.
"When the bark ignites it can be blown great distances, starting new fires," says Dr Jane Cawson, an expert in vegetation flammability at the University of Melbourne.
This process, called spotting, can ignite fires 30km (18 miles) ahead of the main fire and is very difficult to suppress.
Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-51132965
