Australia counts bushfire cost

AUSTRALIANS on Sunday counted the cost from a day of catastrophic bushfires that caused “extensive damage” across swathes of the country and took the death toll from the long-running crisis to 24.

Hundreds of properties were destroyed and one man died trying to save a friend’s home in the severe conditions -- among the worst in Australia’s months-long bushfire crisis.

In the country’s southeast the skies turned black and ash rained on isolated communities.

“We’re in uncharted territory,” New South Wales state Premier Gladys Berejiklian said.

“We can’t pretend that this is something that we have experienced before. It’s not,” she said.

“Several townships who never ever experienced a threat of bushfire were at threat of being completely wiped out.”

The severity of the crisis -- which has seen an area roughly double the size of Belgium burnt -saw Prime Minister Scott Morrison announce the largest military call-up in living memory, mobilising up to 3,000 reservists to assist exhausted volunteer firefighters.

THIS handout photo taken from the Australian Department of Defense shows people being evacuated onto a Black Hawk helicopter at the Omeo show grounds Victoria, during bushfire relief efforts. Australians on January 5 counted the cost from a day of catastrophic bushfires that caused “extensive damage” across swathes of the country and took the death toll from the long-running crisis to 24. AFP PHOTO