Dean Lewins/European Pressphoto Agency A firefighter fought to save a property threatened by the Dean's Gully fire near Wandandian, south of Nowra, New South Wales on Tuesday. By MATT SIEGEL Published: January 9, 2013 SYDNEY, Australia — Bush fires raging across some of the most populous parts of Australia — feeding off widespread drought conditions and high winds — pushed firefighters to their limits and residents to their wits’ end on Wednesday as meteorologists tracked the country’s hottest spring and summer on record into uncharted territory. Lukas Coch/European Pressphoto Agency Firefighters battled a grass fire in Oura, near Wagga Wagga, Australia, on Tuesday. On Monday, Australia’s hottest day on record, the national average was 104.59 degrees. Four months of record-breaking temperatures stretching back to September 2012 have produced what the government says are “catastrophic” fire conditions along the eastern and southeastern coasts of the country, where the majority of