NEW SOUTH WALES, Australia (NBC) – Australian wildfires claimed more lives and in one seaside town, chased residents into the ocean to escape.
From New South Wales came incredible images of a firetruck crew driving through the flames.
Authorities there also confirmed two people died overnight, taking to eleven the total deaths in wildfires since the beginning of October.
The flames have destroyed more than 10 million acres, with new blazes sparking to life almost daily driven by extremely hot and windy conditions following a three-year drought.
New South Wales Fire Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said, “Resources are stretched all the way across the South Coast. There are strike teams and extra resources responding in and around all these different fire-affected areas and noting that these fires are spreading over a very broad geographic area and working to prioritizing short access to the most at-risk areas is challenging.”
Wildfires also trapped residents of a seaside town in New South Wales in apocalyptic conditions, destroying many properties and killing two people there.
Fire was seen moving toward the Princes Highway, a road linking Sydney and Melbourne.
Some residents fled to lakes and beaches to escape the fire threat.
Resident Rob Gozni said, “It looks like it’s jumped the highway west of us and it’s just roared down like a bloody freight train and it’s actually cut through and a southerly [wind gust] has come through at the right time actually and it’s 50 odd meters [from Gozni’s home] and it’s shot it bloody up north now. So it’s still spotting [burning] up there.”
Authorities have said the main firefront was moving up the coast and have warned people in its path to seek shelter close to the beach.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said significant firefighting efforts would continue for weeks, adding he also feared “in the months to come”.
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