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| NSW and Victoria fires live: three more deaths confirmed in Australia bushfires and hundreds of homes destroyed – latest updates | NSW and Victoria fires live: three more deaths confirmed in Australia bushfires and hundreds of homes destroyed – latest updates |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| East Gippsland fires claim homes in Buchan, Sarsfield and Mallacoota, and 176 properties lost on New South Wales south coast. Follow live news and latest updates | East Gippsland fires claim homes in Buchan, Sarsfield and Mallacoota, and 176 properties lost on New South Wales south coast. Follow live news and latest updates |
| There is a bit of confusion around the number of dead and missing. | |
| Since Christmas, nine people have died in bushfires across NSW and Victoria, and at least four people are missing. | |
| Firefighter Sam McPaul, 28, died when his fire truck was overturned by extreme winds east of Albury on Monday. | |
| Father and son, Robert and Patrick Salway, were found dead inside their house in Cobargo on Tuesday. | |
| A man is unaccounted for and presumed dead in Belowra. NSW police deputy commissioner Gary Worboys said authorities had been unable to access the location west of Narooma to confirm a report. | |
| A man has died in his home on Myrtle Gully Rd, west of Lake Cunjola, police also confirmed. The man’s body showed no signs of trauma or burns and police don’t believe it is suspicious. | |
| In Buchan, Victoria, 67-year-old Mick Roberts died in the East Gippsland fires. | |
| On Wednesday Worboys confirmed three further deaths in the South Coast fires. | |
| “The police have confirmed at Yatta Yatta, a body found in a vehicle there, which is near Lake Conjola. One at Sussex Inlet and a body in a vehicle. And ambulance officers have told us about a body that they have located as well deceased. | |
| There remains concern over another person, also in Lake Cunjola, where a house has been destroyed by fire and the occupant reported missing. | |
| ‘We’re sifting through that now with RFS, forensics and fire and rescue New South Wales to work out what’s occurred there,” said Worboys. | |
| Three people are still believed to be missing in fire areas in Victoria. | |
| NSW RFS commissioner, Shane FitzSimmons, warned the NSW death toll would rise on Wednesday afternoon, as further cases were confirmed. | |
| It is not the first time Scott Morrison has brought the bushfires and the cricket together – you may remember this tweet from November: | |
| Scott Morrison finished with this: | |
| The prime minister continued: | |
| Scott Morrison has made a speech about the fires to cricketers who are at Kirribilli House for a function: | |
| The Bega MP and NSW transport minister, Andrew Constance, who was briefly unaccounted for yesterday after defending his home from fires, has urged people to not return to their homes until it is judged safe. | |
| The NSW RFS commissioner, Shane Fitzsimmons, says the lack of communication is making it difficult for authorities to determine who is still missing. | The NSW RFS commissioner, Shane Fitzsimmons, says the lack of communication is making it difficult for authorities to determine who is still missing. |
| He says people need to brace themselves for more confirmed deaths. | He says people need to brace themselves for more confirmed deaths. |
| This conversation will not, and can’t be, stopped: | This conversation will not, and can’t be, stopped: |
| Power in some of those NSW south coast areas is likely to remain out for some time to come. | Power in some of those NSW south coast areas is likely to remain out for some time to come. |
| From AAP: | From AAP: |
| The NSW police deputy commissioner, Gary Worboys, on the deaths: | The NSW police deputy commissioner, Gary Worboys, on the deaths: |
| AAP has this update on Tasmania: | AAP has this update on Tasmania: |
| A look at what happened in Victoria yesterday: | A look at what happened in Victoria yesterday: |
| Rob Rogers on whether or not there is enough resources: | Rob Rogers on whether or not there is enough resources: |
| And on the question of whether there is much more to burn, the RFS deputy commissioner, Rob Rogers, says: | And on the question of whether there is much more to burn, the RFS deputy commissioner, Rob Rogers, says: |
| Deputy NSW RFS commissioner Rob Rogers: | Deputy NSW RFS commissioner Rob Rogers: |
| Authorities said the majority of the south coast fires were the result of ‘natural’ activity – like lightning. They have not heard of any deliberately lit fires in that area. All the main ones have been started by lightning. | Authorities said the majority of the south coast fires were the result of ‘natural’ activity – like lightning. They have not heard of any deliberately lit fires in that area. All the main ones have been started by lightning. |
| I think that brings the total number of deaths, since the season began, to 15. | I think that brings the total number of deaths, since the season began, to 15. |