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| Australia fires: Military to be deployed to help rescue effort | Australia fires: Military to be deployed to help rescue effort |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Australian military aircraft and vessels will be deployed to help emergency services in the fire-ravaged states of New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria. | Australian military aircraft and vessels will be deployed to help emergency services in the fire-ravaged states of New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria. |
| Thousands of people fled to beaches in the south-eastern states on Tuesday as emergency-level fires spread. | Thousands of people fled to beaches in the south-eastern states on Tuesday as emergency-level fires spread. |
| In Mallacoota, Victoria, about 4,000 people sought shelter on the coast. | In Mallacoota, Victoria, about 4,000 people sought shelter on the coast. |
| Two more people have been confirmed dead in NSW, bringing the fire-linked death toll to 12. | Two more people have been confirmed dead in NSW, bringing the fire-linked death toll to 12. |
| Authorities say four people are missing in Victoria and another in NSW. | Authorities say four people are missing in Victoria and another in NSW. |
| "We've got literally hundreds, thousands of people up and down the coast, taking refuge on the beaches," said Shane Fitzsimmons, commissioner of the NSW Rural Fire Service. | "We've got literally hundreds, thousands of people up and down the coast, taking refuge on the beaches," said Shane Fitzsimmons, commissioner of the NSW Rural Fire Service. |
| Mr Fitzsimmons said it was "the worst fire season we have experienced here in NSW". | Mr Fitzsimmons said it was "the worst fire season we have experienced here in NSW". |
| Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Defence Minister Linda Reynolds have agreed to send military aircraft and vessels at the request of the Victorian government. | Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Defence Minister Linda Reynolds have agreed to send military aircraft and vessels at the request of the Victorian government. |
| The Australian Defence Force will send Black Hawk and Chinook helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft and navy vessels to Victoria and NSW, the two worst-affected regions. | The Australian Defence Force will send Black Hawk and Chinook helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft and navy vessels to Victoria and NSW, the two worst-affected regions. |
| The military is expected to provide humanitarian assistance and carry out evacuations if needed in the coming days. | The military is expected to provide humanitarian assistance and carry out evacuations if needed in the coming days. |
| The US and Canada have also been asked to provide "specialist aviation resources" to help the emergency effort. | The US and Canada have also been asked to provide "specialist aviation resources" to help the emergency effort. |
| In his New Year message, Mr Morrison hailed the "amazing spirit of Australians" but warned that the weeks and months ahead would "continue to be difficult". | In his New Year message, Mr Morrison hailed the "amazing spirit of Australians" but warned that the weeks and months ahead would "continue to be difficult". |
| The bodies of the latest victims - a 63-year-old man and his 29-year-old son - were found near the town of Corbargo in NSW. | The bodies of the latest victims - a 63-year-old man and his 29-year-old son - were found near the town of Corbargo in NSW. |
| Police said the men, named as Robert Salway and his son Patrick by Australian media, had stayed behind to protect their family home, where their bodies were found on Tuesday. | Police said the men, named as Robert Salway and his son Patrick by Australian media, had stayed behind to protect their family home, where their bodies were found on Tuesday. |
| In Mallacoota, the local fire service said a change in wind direction had taken the worst of the fires away from the town. | In Mallacoota, the local fire service said a change in wind direction had taken the worst of the fires away from the town. |
| "I understand there was a public cheer down at the jetty when that was announced," said chief officer Steve Warrington. | "I understand there was a public cheer down at the jetty when that was announced," said chief officer Steve Warrington. |
| About a dozen "emergency-level" blazes stretch across NSW and Victoria. | About a dozen "emergency-level" blazes stretch across NSW and Victoria. |
| Several holiday spots along the coast have been cut off and the main road in the region - the Princes Highway - has been closed. | Several holiday spots along the coast have been cut off and the main road in the region - the Princes Highway - has been closed. |
| At midnight on Tuesday, Sydney's A$6m (£3.1m; $4.2m) fireworks display, renowned worldwide, went ahead despite calls for it to be cancelled given the scale of the bushfire crisis. | |
| Temperatures exceeded 40C (104F) in every state and territory at the start of the week, with strong winds and lightning strikes bolstering the flames. | Temperatures exceeded 40C (104F) in every state and territory at the start of the week, with strong winds and lightning strikes bolstering the flames. |
| 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. |
| What has happened in Mallacoota? | What has happened in Mallacoota? |
| Residents fled to the beach or took up shelter in fortified homes when they heard the warning siren go off at 08:00 local time on Tuesday. | Residents fled to the beach or took up shelter in fortified homes when they heard the warning siren go off at 08:00 local time on Tuesday. |
| "It should have been daylight but it was black like midnight and we could hear the fire roaring," said David Jeffrey, a local business owner. "We were all terrified for our lives." | "It should have been daylight but it was black like midnight and we could hear the fire roaring," said David Jeffrey, a local business owner. "We were all terrified for our lives." |
| The fire was kept back from the shore, where firefighters had gathered for a last line of defence, by the change in wind. | The fire was kept back from the shore, where firefighters had gathered for a last line of defence, by the change in wind. |
| Victoria's state emergency commissioner Andrew Crisp told reporters there were "4,000 people on the beach". | Victoria's state emergency commissioner Andrew Crisp told reporters there were "4,000 people on the beach". |
| Many of those trapped on the beach could be forced to spend the night there. | Many of those trapped on the beach could be forced to spend the night there. |
| Fire chief Warrington said there had been "significant property losses" across the entire East Gippsland region in the past days. | Fire chief Warrington said there had been "significant property losses" across the entire East Gippsland region in the past days. |
| Authorities said bushfire had destroyed 43 properties in Gippsland, where more than 400,000 hectares have been burned. | Authorities said bushfire had destroyed 43 properties in Gippsland, where more than 400,000 hectares have been burned. |
| Hundreds of massive blazes have destroyed millions of hectares in the eastern states of Australia since September. | Hundreds of massive blazes have destroyed millions of hectares in the eastern states of Australia since September. |
| Residents in the NSW holiday towns of Bermagui and Batemans Bay also fled on Tuesday morning to the waterfront or makeshift evacuation sites near the shore. | Residents in the NSW holiday towns of Bermagui and Batemans Bay also fled on Tuesday morning to the waterfront or makeshift evacuation sites near the shore. |
| Locals told the BBC they had "bunkered in" as the front approached, raining ash on the beaches. | Locals told the BBC they had "bunkered in" as the front approached, raining ash on the beaches. |
| "It was bloody scary. The sky went red, and ash was flying everywhere," said Zoe Simmons in Batemans Bay. | "It was bloody scary. The sky went red, and ash was flying everywhere," said Zoe Simmons in Batemans Bay. |
| A "freakish weather event" killed a volunteer firefighter on Sunday, according to the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS). He was the third volunteer firefighter to have died. | A "freakish weather event" killed a volunteer firefighter on Sunday, according to the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS). He was the third volunteer firefighter to have died. |
| Samuel McPaul, 28, was a newlywed who was expecting his first child. Powerful winds near the NSW-Victoria border - generated by the fires - 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. Powerful winds near the NSW-Victoria border - generated by the fires - lifted his 10-tonne truck off the ground and flipped it over, the service said. |
| 'Ground blanketed in ash' | 'Ground blanketed in ash' |
| Lucy Martin, BBC News, Merimbula | Lucy Martin, BBC News, Merimbula |
| For many Australians, the final days of 2019 have been a tense and worrying time. The smoke hanging in the sky day after day is a constant reminder of communities on fire. | For many Australians, the final days of 2019 have been a tense and worrying time. The smoke hanging in the sky day after day is a constant reminder of communities on fire. |
| Some are staying inside to avoid the thick, acrid smoke, while others are cancelling holidays or taking long detours to avoid roadblocks. | Some are staying inside to avoid the thick, acrid smoke, while others are cancelling holidays or taking long detours to avoid roadblocks. |
| Here in Merimbula, on the New South Wales coast, the sun has been blotted out, casting a deep orange haze in the sky. People on the street are describing it as apocalyptic. | Here in Merimbula, on the New South Wales coast, the sun has been blotted out, casting a deep orange haze in the sky. People on the street are describing it as apocalyptic. |
| The smoke is now so thick it's almost impossible to drive. The ground is blanketed in ash and supermarkets are packed with people stocking up with supplies. | The smoke is now so thick it's almost impossible to drive. The ground is blanketed in ash and supermarkets are packed with people stocking up with supplies. |
| Holidaymakers should be swimming and hiking today, but they're checking into evacuation centres or planning escape routes. | Holidaymakers should be swimming and hiking today, but they're checking into evacuation centres or planning escape routes. |
| 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 |