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| Australia fires: Holidaymakers flee to water as blaze hits town | Australia fires: Holidaymakers flee to water as blaze hits town |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Thousands of people have fled into the water at a beachside town in Australia to seek shelter from a massive bushfire bearing down on the area. | Thousands of people have fled into the water at a beachside town in Australia to seek shelter from a massive bushfire bearing down on the area. |
| Residents said the blaze moved into the Victorian town of Mallacoota on Tuesday morning, throwing embers towards homes. | Residents said the blaze moved into the Victorian town of Mallacoota on Tuesday morning, throwing embers towards homes. |
| Online, people reported the "roar" of the fire and posted pictures of a black and then deep-red sky. | |
| Several popular holiday spots along the coast between Sydney and Melbourne are currently under threat from bushfires. | Several popular holiday spots along the coast between Sydney and Melbourne are currently under threat from bushfires. |
| The most serious "emergency-level" blazes span a 500km (310 miles) stretch from Batemans Bay in New South Wales (NSW) to Bairnsdale in Victoria. | |
| Residents in several NSW beachside communities, including Bermagui and Batemans Bay, have also been evacuated to the water. | |
| Authorities had told people in these regions - many of them tourists - to stay put because it was too late and dangerous to evacuate. | |
| The major road in the region - the Princes Highway - has been closed off. | |
| Victoria's Premier Daniel Andrews said authorities held concerns for four people missing in the region. | Victoria's Premier Daniel Andrews said authorities held concerns for four people missing in the region. |
| "We do have real fears for their safety. They've been in active fire environments and we can't account for them," he told reporters on Tuesday. | "We do have real fears for their safety. They've been in active fire environments and we can't account for them," he told reporters on Tuesday. |
| What is happening in Mallacoota? | What is happening in Mallacoota? |
| "Mallacoota is currently under attack at the moment," said Victoria's state emergency commissioner Andrew Crisp on Tuesday. He reported there were "4,000 people on the beach". | "Mallacoota is currently under attack at the moment," said Victoria's state emergency commissioner Andrew Crisp on Tuesday. He reported there were "4,000 people on the beach". |
| "It is pitch-black, it is quite scary... the community right now is under threat but we will hold our line and they will be saved and protected." | "It is pitch-black, it is quite scary... the community right now is under threat but we will hold our line and they will be saved and protected." |
| On social media, locals reported they had boarded small boats in the water, or had huddled in their fortified homes as the fire swept through the town. | On social media, locals reported they had boarded small boats in the water, or had huddled in their fortified homes as the fire swept through the town. |
| Crews are fighting to protect lives rather than buildings, locals said. Several homes in the town are already believed to have been destroyed. | Crews are fighting to protect lives rather than buildings, locals said. Several homes in the town are already believed to have been destroyed. |
| Mr Crisp said there had been "significant property losses" across the entire East Gippsland region in the past days. | Mr Crisp said there had been "significant property losses" across the entire East Gippsland region in the past days. |
| Searing mid-40Cs heat combined with strong winds and lightning had triggered more than 200 new fires across the state in the past 24 hours. | Searing mid-40Cs heat combined with strong winds and lightning had triggered more than 200 new fires across the state in the past 24 hours. |
| They have fuelled the rapid expansion of existing fronts, with several blazes so large they are generating their own thunderstorms and lightning. | They have fuelled the rapid expansion of existing fronts, with several blazes so large they are generating their own thunderstorms and lightning. |
| It is another escalation in the nation's bushfire crisis which has seen hundreds of massive blazes destroy millions of hectares in the eastern states since September. | It is another escalation in the nation's bushfire crisis which has seen hundreds of massive blazes destroy millions of hectares in the eastern states since September. |
| At least 10 people have died, among them civilians and three volunteer firefighters. | At least 10 people have died, among them civilians and three volunteer firefighters. |
| Firefighter death | Firefighter death |
| It was a "freakish weather event" that killed a volunteer firefighter on Sunday, according to the New South Wales Rural Fire Service (RFS). | It was a "freakish weather event" that killed a volunteer firefighter on Sunday, according to the New South Wales Rural Fire Service (RFS). |
| Powerful winds near the New South Wales-Victoria border lifted his 10-tonne truck off the ground and flipped it over, the service said. | Powerful winds near the New South Wales-Victoria border lifted his 10-tonne truck off the ground and flipped it over, the service said. |
| Samuel McPaul, 28, was a newlywed who was expecting his first child. | Samuel McPaul, 28, was a newlywed who was expecting his first child. |
| Earlier in December, two volunteer firefighters died while battling a blaze near Sydney. | Earlier in December, two volunteer firefighters died while battling a blaze near Sydney. |
| "To lose one of our own in such extraordinary circumstances is just tragic," said RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons of the latest death. | "To lose one of our own in such extraordinary circumstances is just tragic," said RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons of the latest death. |
| Mr McPaul died at the scene, while the driver received minor burns and a third person suffered more serious burns. | Mr McPaul died at the scene, while the driver received minor burns and a third person suffered more serious burns. |
| A second vehicle was also blown over in the same area and the firefighters on board were taken to hospital, the service said. | A second vehicle was also blown over in the same area and the firefighters on board were taken to hospital, the service said. |
| Meteorologists say a climate system in the Indian Ocean, known as the dipole, is the main driver behind the extreme heat in Australia. | Meteorologists say a climate system in the Indian Ocean, known as the dipole, is the main driver behind the extreme heat in Australia. |
| Temperatures exceeded 40C (104F) in every state at the start of the week, with strong winds and lightning strikes bolstering the flames. | Temperatures exceeded 40C (104F) in every state at the start of the week, with strong winds and lightning strikes bolstering the flames. |
| Have you been told to evacuate? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. | Have you been told to evacuate? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. |
| Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: | Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: |
| Or use the form below | Or use the form below |