"Born in Zimbabwe, raised in Zimbabwe, forced to leave because of the colour of my skin, " was a typical comment.

BBC: Zimbabwe's online campaign

The fires have been caused by days of searing heat across much of the country - so much so that Australia's Bureau of Meteorology was last week forced to add a new shade to its colour-coded temperature chart, for heat above 50C.

BBC: News - Australia bushfire destroys homes and damages observatory