Locals in Australia Run to the Waterside from the Bushfire as the Sky Turns Crimson

4,000 people fled to the beach in Australia to run away from the bushfire in Mallacoota.
Nursah Ergü

An Australian town Mallacoota has been on fire. As a result, locals have been in danger and 4,000 residents were forced to leave town and were sent to the waterside.

The flames turned the night sky into red, and at 8 a.m. a warning siren was heard and people were warned to go near the water.

SEE ALSO: OVER HALF OF AUSTRALIA’S 2018 ANNUAL CARBON EMISSIONS ALREADY EMITTED THIS YEAR DUE TO BUSHFIRES

Locals, who were sent near to the sea under the red sky and have been camping on wharves, call it a "terrifying experience."

A father and son confirmed dead in New South Wales, which adds to the number of dead people, making the total number 12. Also, 4 people are missing in Victoria.

NSW police deputy commissioner Gary Worboys said, "Very tragic set of circumstances. [They were] obviously trying to do their best with the fire as it came through in the early hours of the morning."

David Geoffrey, who's a bed-and-breakfast owner, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. (ABC) things he witnessed on Mallacoota Beach,

"It was blowing out to a gale for a point and then... it’s pitch black. And then the sky went red. We thought it was a fire front about to run over the top of us. They wanted us to get into the water, get against that wall. It’s got oysters and stuff, not the greatest thing to do, but it will save you from radiant heat. It’s a barrier. So we were ready to jump in. And everyone was all along the edge, ready to go, and, of course, when, you know, when that sky went red, it looked like what we’ve been looking at when we saw the fire coming."

Koala numbers are also decreasing due to the fire.

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