Two more people died, five others were missing feared dead and thousands were evacuated to beaches as Australia’s most devastating wildfire season on record worsened on Tuesday.
Police said a father and son died in the early hours of Tuesday defending their home in Cobargo, near the coast in the state of New South Wales (NSW), 280 miles south of Sydney.The town was hit by one out-of-control
fire which roared into the community in the middle of the night, with its main street bearing the impact.
Further south, fires continued to blaze out of control in the state of Victoria, where some 4,000 people were forced to take shelter on the beach in the holiday town of Mallacoota, in the East Gippsland district along the Pacific coast. Around 4,000 more people were sheltering in community centres in the town.Those sheltering on the beach were advised to go into the water if the fire situation worsened. Similar advice was given to people in several NSW coastal towns, where fearful residents and holidaymakers had also abandoned their dwellings to move onto beaches.
People in Mallacoota posted on social media about hearing the roar of the fire, circulating photos showing how, in the words of some, the smoke had turned “the day into night”.A fire generated thunderstorm has formed over Currowan fire. Pyro-cumulonimbus can create erratic winds, dry lightning & significantly faster fire spread & in multiple directions. Monitor conditions around you & take action. Learn more: https://t.co/upo2vca92X#nswrfs#nswfirespic.twitter.com/HAtuOLr3i9— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) December 31, 2019Four people were missing in the area, where more than half a million acres of forest have been burnt out and where the intense heat and smoke from fires has been creating localised storm systems.
“Mallacoota is currently under attack,” Victoria’s state emergency commissioner Andrew Crisp said on Tuesday.
“It is pitch-black, it is quite scary… the community right now is under threat but we will hold our line and they will be saved and protected”. View this post on InstagramThis photo was taken by a mother - her two primary aged sons are in the boat with her. They are currently sitting on the Mallacoota lake trying to stay safe from the fire, this is their only option and only refuge . Ordinarily at NYE I would share about the wins Mums Who Wine has had, the lessons I have learned and the excitement to come - but this all appears insignificant when I see images like this 😢 Our fellow Aussies are in crisis as bushfires continue to rage and for the most part we are helpless. So as we prepare to come together to celebrate the end of 2019, what has been a tough year for many, let’s take the moment to be grateful that we and our families are safe and send prayers and love to those seeking refuge. And of course, hug your little ones a little tighter tonight as you tuck them safely into bed. Thank you to the incredible firefighters and volunteers who are braving these unthinkable conditions, you are true heroes 🙏❤️ 📷 ABC Mallacoota . . . . . . . . . #mallacoota #gippsland #gippslandfires #bushfires #newyearseve2019 #cfa #aussiefirefighters #australiansummerA post shared by Mums Who Wine (@mumswhowine_au) on Dec 30, 2019 at 7:26pm PSTEmergency services officials said it was possible towns in the Gippsland area could be evacuated by sea as the fires, fanned by strong winds, continued.
Another person was unaccounted for in the NSW town of Belowra.
As defence force personnel assisted firefighters and volunteers in tackling some of the worst blazes, eight fires were burning at emergency level across NSW, with a similar number ongoing in Victoria, and two more in the island state of Tasmania.
The death toll from more than three months of wildfires in multiple states now stands at 12.
Thousands of people have been displaced from their homes, with more than 1,000 dwellings razed.Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews on Tuesday said requests had been made for 70 firefighters from the
United States and
Canada to be flown in to help local crews.
Major roads were closed near the south coast of NSW including the country’s main national carriageway, the Pacific Highway.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison posted a video address expressing sympathy over the death on Monday of volunteer firefighter Samuel McPaul, 28, who died when what was described as “a fire tornado” flipped his truck off the ground while he attended a blaze near Albury, in southern NSW. Federal Government, especially our Defence Forces, are working together with the Victorian Government to respond to Victorian bushfires. VIC CFA are leading the response. Premier @DanielAndrewsMP & I are in regular contact. Reports of persons unaccounted for are very distressing.— Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) December 31, 2019“As 2019 draws to a close, the devastating impact of these terrible bushfires continues,” Morrison said.
High fire danger and extreme temperatures – western
Sydney hit 45 degrees on Tuesday – have caused the cancellation of several planned New Year’s fireworks displays, including in the national capital Canberra.
Sydney’s iconic harbour-side fireworks were to go ahead, but with signs displayed of how people could donate money to help those affected by fires.Related... Sydney's New Year Fireworks Will Go Ahead Despite Worsening Bushfires, PM Insists Thousands Of Koalas Feared Dead As
Australian Bushfires Worsen 2019 Was The Year The World Burned