Firefighters and wildlife carers working round the clock in Australia
4882 Mins Read
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has apologised for taking a family holiday in Hawaii as deadly bushfires raged across large parts of his country, destroying homes and claiming the lives of two volunteer firefighters.
At least 2,000 firefighters are battling dozens of blazes, with international support.
New South Wales is in the middle of a seven-day state of emergency as the fires, encouraged by a ferocious heatwave, rage out of control.
Morrison cut short a trip with his wife and adult children amid public anger at his absence from Australia at a time of national crisis. He spoke to reporters on Sunday while visiting the headquarters of the Rural Fire Service in Sydney.
“If you had your time over again and you had the benefit of hindsight, we would have made different decisions,” Morrison said. “I am sure Australians are fair-minded and understand that when you make a promise to your kids you try and keep it.”
Australian firefighters used cooler conditions on Christmas Day to try and contain bushfires ahead of hot, dry weather later in the week, as leaders and communities thanked them for sacrificing time with their families over the holidays.
Meanwhile wildlife carers in Australia are ready to work around the clock over Christmas, preparing for more admissions particularly for baby animals stressed by hot weather, bushfires and drought.
Conditions have cooled over the past few days, after devastating bushfires that have burnt more than 4 million hectares (9.88 million acres) of land across five states since September. Nine people have died during the bushfire emergency.
