Fanned by soaring temperatures, columns of fire and smoke blackened entire towns on Monday and Tuesday, forcing thousands of residents and holidaymakers to seek shelter on beaches. Many stood in shallow water to escape the flames
In total, there have been 12 fire-related deaths across Australia since blazes broke out in spring, including three volunteer firefighters, after a three-year drought in large parts of the nation created tinder-dry conditions.Huge bushfires have destroyed more than 4 million hectares , with new blazes sparked almost daily by extremely hot and windy conditions and, most recently, dry lightning strikes created by the fires themselves.
Cooler conditions on Wednesday gave the country a moment to count the cost of the fierce fires, although there were still more than 100 blazes in New South Wales state alone and thousands of firefighters on the ground, authorities said. The body of a man was found on Wednesday on the south coast of New South Wales after emergency workers began reaching the most damaged areas, according to the state’s Rural Fire Service .The death toll is likely to rise, NSW RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said. “We still have grave concerns for ,” Fitzsimmons told reporters in Sydney.
There is “limited access to the remote area to try to identify and confirm one way or the other the status of that person.”FIRE HOTSPOTS, PAST 24 HOURS
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