Military drafted in to help communities in grip of wildfires
AUSTRALIA deployed military ships and aircraft yesterday to help communities ravaged by devastating wildfires that have left at least 17 people dead nationwide and sent thousands of residents and holidaymakers fleeing to the shoreline.
Navy ships and military aircraft were taking water, food and fuel to towns where supplies were depleted and roads had been cut off by the fires.
Authorities confirmed three bodies were found at Lake Conjola on the south coast of New South Wales on
New Year’s Day, taking the death toll in the state to 15.
More than 175 homes have been destroyed in the region.
On Tuesday morning, 4,000 people in the coastal town of Mallacoota fled to the shore as winds pushed a fire towards their homes under a sky darkened by smoke and turned bloodred by flames.
Stranded residents and holidaymakers slept in their cars, and petrol stations and surf clubs were transformed into evacuation areas.
Dozens of homes were burned before winds changed direction late on Tuesday, sparing the rest of the town.
Victoria Emergency Commissioner Andrew Crisp told reporters the Australian Defence Force was moving naval assets to Mallacoota on a supply mission which would last two weeks and helicopters would also fly in more firefighters since roads were inaccessible.
Conditions cooled on Wednesday, but the fire danger remained very high across the state, where four people are missing.
“We have three months of hot weather to come. We do have a dynamic and a dangerous fire situation across the state,” Mr Crisp said.
In the New South Wales town of Conjola Park, 89 properties were confirmed destroyed and cars were melted by Tuesday’s fires.
More than 100 fires were still burning in the state on Wednesday, though none were at an emergency level. Seven people have died this week, including a volunteer firefighter, a man found in a burnt-out car, and a father and son who died in their house. Firefighting crews took advantage of easing conditions on Wednesday to restore power to critical infrastructure and conduct some back burning, before conditions were expected to deteriorate on Saturday as high temperatures and strong winds return.