Australian Bushfires Death Toll Rises As Temperatures Soar In Severe Heatwave
Source: The Guardian
Emergency-level fires have swept across parts of New South Wales and South Australia, and the death toll and number of injured firefighters has risen, as the country's severe heatwave and bushfire crisis continued on Saturday.
Two people were confirmed dead in South Australia, and homes were destroyed and communities evacuated in what authorities described as "an awful day" in which fires raged across three states, even creating their own thunderstorms in some parts of NSW.
At Lithgow, about two hours' drive west of Sydney, residents were forced to flee as fires threatened the community of more than 10,000 people and destroyed several homes on the outskirts of the town. At 7pm, a person was reported unaccounted for in the Dargen area, near Lithgow, the ABC reported. Four firefighters in NSW were treated for heat exhaustion on Saturday, the ambulance service said, while another firefighter was reportedly injured after being struck by a truck in Richmond.
On Saturday night, the Blue Mountains communities of Bilpin and Blackheath remained under threat, while southerly winds pushed a blaze away from Yanderra on Saturday afternoon. Fire fighters were expected to remain on the ground into the night...(See Video).
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/21/australian-bushfires-death-toll-rises-as-temperatures-soar-in-severe-heatwave
- Firefighter in Australian Bushfire season 2019- 2020.
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