黑料社

SYDNEY 鈥� Fire-ravaged Australia has launched a major operation to reach thousands of people stranded in seaside towns after deadly bushfires ripped through popular tourist areas on New Year鈥檚 Eve.

Navy ships and military aircraft were deployed alongside emergency crews Wednesday to provide humanitarian relief and assess the damage from one of the worst days yet in Australia鈥檚 months-long bushfire crisis.

Three people died in just 24 hours and five others remain missing after the country鈥檚 southeast was devastated by out-of-control blazes, which destroyed dozens of homes and left some small towns in ruins.

Information was trickling out of coastal communities where thousands of holidaymakers and locals were thought to have seen in the New Year taking refuge from flames at surf clubs, as power outages and damage to telecommunications towers brought down phone lines and the internet.

New South Wales (NSW) Rural Fire Service commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said emergency services faced a 鈥渞eal challenge鈥澛爐rying to help injured people 鈥� some reportedly suffering burns 鈥� in isolated areas.

鈥淲e haven鈥檛 been able to get access聽via roads or via aircraft. It鈥檚 been鈥� too dangerous and we聽simply can鈥檛 access, nor can the聽people in these areas get out,鈥� he said.

Fires are still raging across the country, with homes and lives remaining under threat in Victoria state, and it is expected to take days for聽the military to reach people in remote areas.

鈥楨mber attacks鈥�

There was cheers and relief in the town of Mallacoota 鈥� where towering columns of smoke turned the sky pitch black and nearby fires caused waves of 鈥渆mber attacks鈥� 鈥� after around 4,000 people who had huddled on the foreshore ringed by fire trucks survived unharmed.

鈥淚 understand there was a standing ovation at the end of that for the firefighters,鈥� Victoria Emergency Management commissioner Andrew Crisp told public broadcaster ABC.

But the joy was short-lived for many who returned to find their homes burned to the ground, with the task of rebuilding shattered communities expected to take years.

Gary Hinton escaped flames roaring through Cobargo early Tuesday and returned to the stricken town later that night to find his father鈥檚 home largely intact, but many other buildings reduced to rubble.

鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 good. It鈥檚 turned out pretty devastating for everyone,鈥� he told AFP.

Cooler temperatures and lighter winds provided a window of opportunity for relief efforts in some areas Wednesday, but there were concerns over new fires sparked by lightning late Tuesday in alpine regions.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of people holidaying, again, up in those areas,鈥� Crisp said. 鈥淲e鈥檒l be prioritising those and hitting them as hard as we can. We don鈥檛 need any new fires.鈥�

Firefighters were racing to take advantage of the milder weather in the country鈥檚 south-east to contain dozens of blazes, as authorities warned the fire danger would spike on Saturday as temperatures soar again.

鈥淎t the very least, weather聽conditions will be at least as bad as what聽they were yesterday,鈥� NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said.

This season鈥檚 blazes have killed at least 13 people, destroyed more than 1,000 homes and scorched about 5.5 million hectares (13.5 million acres) 鈥� an area bigger than Denmark or the Netherlands.

The unprecedented crisis has sparked street protests calling on the government to immediately act on climate change, which scientists say is creating a longer and more intense bushfire season.

Conservative Prime Minister Scott Morrison has come under increasing pressure for his response, which has included holidaying in Hawaii as the disaster unfolded and reiterating his steadfast support for Australia鈥檚 lucrative 鈥� but heavily polluting 鈥� coal mining industry.