Australia fires turn skies blood red and orange. 18 reported dead, hundreds of houses burned, thousands flee
Australia’s catastrophic bushfires have now claimed over 18 lives and destroyed more than 1200 homes, according to the Australian Associated Press.
The destruction has been reported in New South Wales (NSW), Victoria, Queensland, South and Western Australia and Tasmania. Military ships and aircraft have been deployed today to supply take water, food and fuel to the affected towns.
The fires have intensified in the past few days have seen fires intensify across the state, spread far by strong winds. As of January 1, there are 112 fires burning across the NSW state and more than 2,500 firefighters on the ground, according to the NSW Rural Fire Service (NSWRFS).
Blazes across New South Wales and Queensland have scorched almost 7 million acres over the past few months with record high temperatures.
In New South Wales tens of thousands of people are without power or communications and at least 31,000 people have been affected in Bateman Bay. Neil Pharaoh, whose mother lives in Bateman Bay, said: “There is no power, no mobile, no internet or utilities, the town is out of fuel and food, and no open roads to get in or out.”
“The water catchment for the bay has all been burnt… Residents are all worried about sewerage which is expected to start overflowing shortly without the pumping stations, and running out of tap water shortly. Why isn’t the government doing food & water drops? Or bringing in generators to the harbour? Where is our defence force?” he wrote on Facebook.
Countless pictures posted on social media represent the chaos and significant damage to homes and properties.
Residents described the scene as “apocalyptic” when smoke and flames turned the sky red.
The fires have critically affected the population of koalas and other endangered species. Australia’s environment minister, Sussan Ley, has said up to 30% of koalas on the NSW mid-north coast may have been killed in the country’s ongoing bushfire crisis.
