Thousands flee to beaches as fires encircle Australian towns - msnNOW
Residents watch the developing conditions near the town of Sussex Inlet on Dec. 31, in Sydney.
There are a number of dangerous bushfires burning at emergency level across NSW as weather conditions deteriorate with temperatures expected to rise ahead of gusty southerly change. Princes Highway on the NSW South Coast has been closed with motorists told to avoid all non essential travel.
This timed-exposure image shows firefighters hosing down trees as they battle against bushfires around the town of Nowra in New South Wales on Dec. 31. - Thousands of holidaymakers and locals were forced to flee to beaches in fire-ravaged southeast Australia on Dec. 31, as blazes ripped through popular tourist areas leaving no escape by land.
A firefighter speaks to a resident trying to hose down her home in the hope of saving it from nearby bushfires around the town of Nowra in New South Wales on Dec. 31.
A New South Wales Police officer prepares to flee his roadblock on the Princes Highway near the town of Sussex Inlet on Dec. 31, in Sydney.
Firefighters conduct property protection near the town of Sussex Inlet on Dec. 31, in Sydney.
Commuters are seen as a Rural Fire Service helicopter lands on the Princes Highway near the town of Sussex Inlet on Dec. 31, in Sydney.
Smoke and flames rise from burning trees as bushfires hit the area around the town of Nowra in New South Wales on Dec. 31.
A truck driver prepares to move his vehicle through a roadblock bypass on the Princes Highway near the town of Sussex Inlet on Dec. 31, in Sydney.
Smoke from bushfires rises high into the air as fires hit the area around the town of Nowra in New South Wales on Dec. 31.
A skycrane drops water on a bushfire in scrub behind houses in Bundoora, Melbourne, on Dec. 30. New Year’s Eve fireworks in Australia’s capital and other cities have been canceled as the wildfire danger worsens in oppressive summer heat; and pressure is building for Sydney’s iconic celebrations to be similarly scrapped.
An aerial scene shows fires burning and smoke rising close to properties in Bundoora, Victoria state, on Dec. 30.
Australia Wildfires
The remains of a car that was destroyed by bushfires sits near a home in the town of Balmoral on Dec. 30, in Sydney. Firefighters have made the most of slightly cooler conditions over the weekend to contain bushfires burning across the state, however the fire danger is expected to rise due to increasing heat and winds. More than 1500 firefighters are currently battling more than 100 blazes across the NSW, with more than 30 fires still uncontained.
An aerial view of a bushfire in Ellerslie, New South Wales, on Dec. 30, in this still image obtained from social media video.
A home recently destroyed by bushfires can be seen near the town of Bilpin on Dec. 29, in Sydney, Australia.
Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Services (WIRES) volunteer and carer Tracy Burgess holds a severely burnt brushtail possum rescued from fires near Australia’s Blue Mountains, Dec. 29.
Tables and chairs are seen among debris at the Tutti Frutti cafe which was destroyed by bushfires in the town of Bilpin, 70 kms west of Sydney, on Dec. 29.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, second left, and New South Wales (NSW) Premier Gladys Berejiklian, third left, receive a briefing from Rural Fire Service (RFS) Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons, right, at the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) Headquarters in Sydney, on Dec. 29.
A sign is seen half burnt after bushfires ravaged the town of Bilpin, 70 kms west of Sydney, on Dec. 29.
A volunteer from the New South Wales Rural Fire Service works to extinguish spot fires following back burning operations in Mount Hay, in Blue Mountains, on Dec. 28.
In this image made from a video, smoke rises from wildfires, on Dec. 27, in the Blue Mountains, New South Whales.
A handout photo made available by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of a satellite image showing part of mainland Australia, on Dec. 26, where historic bushfires still rage in the southeastern states and territories, especially intense around the South Australian city of Adelaide, bottom left. Meanwhile, fires around Sydney have mostly been brought under control, but the New South Wales Rural Fire Service (NSWRFS) advised affected residents that weather conditions are forecast to deteriorate over the coming days.
In this image made from a video, an aerial scene shows a truck driving near fire burning in Harrogate, South Australia, on Dec. 25.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison (R) speaks with a County Fire Service staff as he visits the Mount Barker South Australian County Fire Service headquarters in Mount Barker, on Dec. 24. Morrison is touring fire affected areas in South Australia.
Protesters cheer for firefighters as they rally outside as New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian meets with Rural Fire Service Deputy Commissioner Rob Rogers at the Blue Mountains Fire Control Centre in Katoomba, on Dec. 23.
A view of a house damaged by recent catastrophic bushfires in the Southern Highlands village of Balmoral, New South Wales, on Dec. 23.
Rural Fire Service personnel hose down trees damaged by recent catastrophic bushfires in the Southern Highlands village of Balmoral, New South Wales, on Dec. 23.
In this image made from a video, a sign offers thanks and a Merry Christmas in a destroyed residential area by wildfire, on Dec. 23, in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales.
In this image made from video taken on Dec. 22, and provided by Oakbank Balhannah CFS, a koala drinks water from a bottle given by a firefighter in Cudlee Creek, South Australia. Around 200 wildfires were burning in four states, with New South Wales accounting for more than half of them, including 60 fires not contained.
Melissa O'Dwyer, whose husband Andrew O'Dwyer was killed while on duty as a volunteer firefighter, is hugged by a member of the Horsley Park Rural Fire Brigade on Dec. 22 in Sydney.
Tributes for volunteers Geoffrey Keaton and Andrew O'Dwyer are seen at Horsley Park Rural Fire Brigade on Dec. 22 in Sydney.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison talks to volunteers at he Picton Evacuation Centre on Dec. 22 in Picton.
In this image made from video taken and provided by NSW Rural Fire Service via their twitter account, a firefighter sprays water on a fire moving closer to a home in Blackheath, New South Wales state, on Dec. 22. Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sunday apologized for taking a family vacation in Hawaii as deadly bush fires raged across several states, destroying homes and claiming the lives of two volunteer firefighters.
A home is seen as smoke from the Grose Valley Fire rises in the distance, at Bilpin, on Dec. 21 New South Wales.
A fire burns at the side of a cliff in Blue Mountains, New South Waleson, Dec. 21.
NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Karen Webb talks to media at the NSW Rural Fire Service Headquarters on Dec. 21, in Sydney. A catastrophic fire danger warning has been issued for the greater Sydney region, the Illawarra and southern ranges as hot, windy conditions continue to hamper firefighting efforts across NSW. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian declared a state of emergency on Thursday, the second state of emergency declared in NSW since the start of the bushfire season.
Horses in a paddock as the Gospers Mountain Fire impacts Bilpin, in the Blue Mountains, on Dec. 21. According to media reports, conditions are expected to worsen across much of the state as temperatures exceed 40 degrees Celsius.
A firefighting helicopter in action as the Grose Valley Fire approaches Bilpin, New South Wales, on Dec. 21.
A general view shows smoke from a bushfire near Gumeracha in the Adelaide Hills, on Dec. 21.
Smoke haze from bushfires blankets the Sydney central business district as beachgoers jump from a cliff in Nielsen Park during hot weather on Dec. 21.
Helicopters dump water on bushfires as they approach homes located on the outskirts of the town of Bargo on Dec. 21.
Staff work at the NSW Rural Fire Service State Operations Centre at the NSW Rural Fire Service Headquarters at Sydney Olympic Park on Dec. 21.
The sky is filled with smoke, and ash on Dec. 21, in Shoalhaven Heads.
Members of the Horsley Park RFS are seen at a memorial for volunteer firefighters who died when their fire truck was struck by a falling tree as it traveled through the front line of a fire, at the Horsley Park Rural Fire Brigade on Dec. 20, in Horsley Park, NSW.
A farmer uses a hose to douse flames as he drives a tractor in a burning paddock where a large bush fire burns near homes on the outskirts of the town of Bilpin on Dec. 19, in Sydney.
Fire and rescue personnel prepare to use a hose in an effort to extinguish a bush fire as it burns near homes on Dec. 19, in Sydney.
Rural Fire Service (RFS) crews engage in property protection of a number of homes along the Old Hume Highway on Dec. 19, in the southwest of Sydney.
Residents watch a large bushfire as seen from Bargo, 150km southwest of Sydney, on Dec. 19. A state of emergency was declared in Australia's most populated region as an unprecedented heatwave fanned out-of-control bushfires, destroying homes and smothering huge areas with a toxic smoke.
A helicopter drops fire retardant to protect a property in Balmoral, on Dec. 19.
A property burns from bushfires in Balmoral, on Dec. 19.
A tourist boat rides on the Harbour in thick smoke in Sydney, on Dec. 19.
50/50 SLIDES
Slideshow by photo services
Thousands of holidaymakers and locals were forced to flee to beaches in fire-ravaged southeast Australia Tuesday, as deadly blazes ripped through popular tourist areas and cut off several towns.
In fire-encircled seaside communities along a 200-kilometre (135-mile) strip of coast, terrified people -- wrapped in blankets and make-shift facemasks -- sought refuge near the water.
Some with boats even took to the sea in near-darkness, hoping to find safety, as one of the worst days yet in Australia's months-long bushfire crisis prompted the military to be deployed.
In a brutal 24 hours, three people have died, five more are unaccounted for, and scores of properties were feared destroyed as flames reached well-populated towns like Batemans Bay, normally bursting with visitors during Australia's summer holidays.
"We've got literally hundreds, thousands of people up and down the coast, taking refuge on the beaches" and in surf clubs, said Shane Fitzsimmons, commissioner of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service.
"The roads are closed going west. The roads are closed going south. The roads are closed going north," he said, but added that a cool front had swept across the coast, "considerably" moderating many fires.
Still some four thousand people were trapped on the foreshore in the town of Mallacoota, where towering columns of smoke turned day to night and nearby fires caused waves of "ember attacks".
Victoria authorities said later Tuesday that Mallacoota and a nearby town remained cut off, but the life-threatening fire front had finally passed.
"I understand there was a public cheer down at the jetty when that was announced," said Steve Warrington of the Country Fire Authority, echoing a palpable sense of relief at the slightest good news.
In some places Tuesday's blazes were so intense, the smoke so thick and the fire-provoked dry lightning storms so severe that aerial reconnaissance and waterbombing had to be halted.
Australia's minister of defence said Linda Reynolds said three helicopters, one aircraft and two naval ships would be sent to the region.
The military is expected to conduct damage assessments and potentially provide those displaced with food, shelter and electricity and even evacuation.
More back-up has also been requested from firefighters in Canada and the United States.
Authorities said it likely that many of those trapped on the beaches would be forced to spend the night there.
The picture was barely better in inland rural communities, where countless more people were displaced and forced into make-shift camps.
Hundreds of "anxious and stressed and traumatised" people were gathered at Bega's showgrounds, said 44-year-old Beck Walker, who had been holidaying with her husband and two young sons when they heard sirens warning them to evacuate at around 4.30 am.
"We had to pack up and leave straight away," she told AFP. "It was pretty scary because the sky was red... By 7.30 am we thought it was still night because the sky had turned black."
- 'Ring of fire' -
Australia's unprecedented bushfires have been burning for months, but the latest in a series of heatwaves and high winds have wrought new devastation.
The crisis has also hit cities like Sydney and Melbourne, home to several million people.
On Monday, around 100,000 people had been urged to flee five Melbourne suburbs as the blaze bore down on homes just 16 kilometres (10 miles) from the centre of Australia's second-biggest city.
Sydney was again shrouded in toxic bushfire haze Tuesday. City officials said Sydney's New Year's Eve fireworks would go ahead, but a similar event has been cancelled in Canberra and several regional towns.
A Rural Fire Service spokesman said a 28-year-old volunteer firefighter -- whose wife was due to give birth in May -- died Monday in New South Wales when a "fire tornado" picked up an eight-tonne truck "and flipped it over".
A 63-year-old man and his 29-year-old son died in the devastated town of Cobargo in the latest spasm of destruction Tuesday.
A helicopter dumps water on a bushfire in the outer suburbs of Melbourne
Bushfires have ravaged the town of Bilpin, west of Sydney
In some places the blazes were so intense, the smoke so thick so severe that aerial reconnaissance and waterbombing had to be halted
Distant bushfires light up the skies in the coastal town of Bermagui in New South Wales state
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has acknowledged a link between the fires and climate change but has continued his support of Australia's lucrative coal mining industry
Map of Victoria state of Australia showing the active fires as of December 31.
Residents and firefighters have been hosing down homes and land to stop the fires from spreading
7/7 SLIDES
Ten others, including two volunteer firefighters, have been killed so far this fire season.
The blazes have destroyed more than 1,000 homes and scorched well over three million hectares (7.4 million acres) -- an area bigger than Belgium.
The crisis has focused attention on climate change -- which scientists say is creating a longer and more intense bushfire season -- and sparked street protests.
While conservative Prime Minister Scott Morrison belatedly acknowledged a link between the fires and climate change, he has continued his staunch support of Australia's lucrative coal mining industry or pay for exhausted volunteer firefighters.
Jenifer James, 64, said she had spent hours Tuesday working to protect her Bermagui home in semi-darkness and surrounded by a "ring of fire".
She said the political response to the disaster had been "very poor" and more needed to be done to support volunteer firefighters. "They are so bloody tired," she told AFP.
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