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Saturday, January 04, 2020, 14:13
Australian govt calls up reservists as bushfires burn out of control
By Reuters
Saturday, January 04, 2020, 14:13 By Reuters

Firefighters drag their water hose after putting out a spot fire near Moruya, Australia, Jan 4, 2020. (RICK RYCROFT / AP)

SYDNEY/MELBOURNE - Bushfires burned dangerously out of control on Australia's east coast on Saturday, fuelled by soaring temperatures and strong winds that had firefighters battling to save lives and property.

By mid-afternoon, Victoria had 19 fires rated at emergency or evacuate warning levels and New South Wales had 11 rated emergency, with more than 100 others burning across the states.

As the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) increased its emergency warnings on the fires, it repeatedly delivered the same blunt advice to those who had not evacuated at-risk areas.

"It is too late to leave. Seek shelter as the fire approaches," RFS said in its emergency warnings.

This Jan 3, 2020 AFP graphic shows the location of areas affected by fires since September 2019 in Australia.

Authorities have said conditions could be worse than New Year's Eve on Tuesday, when fires burnt massive tracts of bushland and forced thousands of residents and summer holidaymakers to seek refuge on beaches.

"Conditions beginning to deteriorate quickly on NSW southern firegrounds," the Bureau of Meteorology said in a tweet. "Heat and wind are building which is increasing fire activity."

The government said that up to 3,000 army reservists would be deployed to help communities hit by spreading wildfires and a third navy ship had been readied to support evacuations from coastal towns.

The government announced an unprecedented call up of army reservists to support firefighters as well other resources, including a third navy ship equipped for disaster and humanitarian relief

It is the first time there has been a compulsory call out of reserve brigades in Australia, underlining the scale of the emergency. They will help deliver supplies to isolated communities, evacuate people in need, and assist in reopening roads and preparing fire breaks to contain the blazes.

READ MORE: Aussie fire: Navy begins mass evacuations as new threat looms

Managing bushfires is the responsibility of state governments and fire services, but the unprecedented scale of the fire season demanded a national response, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said. 

He added that defense force bases would provide temporary accommodation, defence helicopters and planes would help with logistic support and evacuations, and A$20 million (US$14 million) would be spent to lease four fire-fighting planes to deal with the bushfire crisis.

A cooling southerly change that will move up the coast will see temperatures fall dramatically by Sunday, but the accompanying strong winds are likely to fan the strength and unpredictability of fires that have already isolated towns, with major roads and highways being closed.

In South Australia, two people died on Kangaroo Island, a popular holiday spot not far off the coast, taking the national toll from this week's fires to 12. Twenty-one people remain unaccounted for in Victoria, down from 28 reported on Friday.

ALSO READ: Australia's PM defends climate stance amid wildfire disaster

A man uses a water hose to battle a fire near Moruya, Australia, Jan 4, 2020. (RICK RYCROFT / AP)

Morrison said he has cancelled official trips to India and Japan that were scheduled for the second half of January so he could tackle the country's growing fire crisis.

"I should stress that both of those scheduled meetings are postponed and will move quickly to identify another opportunity," Morrison told reporters.

Morrison had been set to leave for India on Jan 12, followed by a trip to Japan, with talks due to focus defense, intelligence and security and trade issues.

The decision to postpone the trips came after Morrison faced heavy criticism in December for taking off on a family holiday to Hawaii while fires raging across Australia since September continued to burn. He cut the family trip short and apologized.

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