Locals in Australia Run to the Waterside from the Bushfire as the Sky Turns Crimson
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.
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."
Here is a map of all the fires burning in Australia.
— Martin (@marty386) December 30, 2019
Here also is a map of Australia overlaid on Europe. #Bushfires #AustraliaFires #vicfires #nswbushfire #NSWfires pic.twitter.com/x35u7etnuB
David Geoffrey, who's a bed-and-breakfast owner, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. (ABC) things he witnessed on Mallacoota Beach,
The crew from Fire and Rescue NSW Station 509 Wyoming recorded this video showing the moment their truck was overrun by the bushfire burning South of Nowra. The crew was forced to shelter in their truck as the fire front passed through. #NSWFires #ProtectTheIrreplaceable pic.twitter.com/Hb0yVrefi9
— Fire and Rescue NSW (@FRNSW) December 31, 2019
"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."
Today's global temperature map. Australia is on fire.#bushfires #ClimateChangeIsReal pic.twitter.com/EIBr24on5m
— Alessandra (@AlessPickings) December 29, 2019
Koala numbers are also decreasing due to the fire.
Poor koalas, the bush fires in Australia are killing them.pic.twitter.com/ECgMYYdJNl
— Hear Me Roar (@Stop_Trump20) December 28, 2019