One firefighter has died and multiple properties are feared lost after terrifying bushfires driven by extreme weather conditions swept across four Australian states on Monday. The volunteer firefighter from the New South Wales Rural Fire Service died when a truck rolled near Jingellic, about 70km east of Albury, on the border with Victoria. Temperatures reached above 40C in all states, including Tasmania, where Hobart recorded 40.8C, its hottest December day ever. In South Australia, conditions had been rated catastrophic across much of the state, but it survived the day without feared extensive property losses. Firefighters were bracing for further strong winds, in some places forecast to reach up to 120km an hour, and dry lightning strikes, which authorities fear could be ruinous after a day of sweltering heat. Other areas surrounding the fire may still come under threat if conditions change #NSWRFS pic.twitter.com/cDDvL6S8dS The most extensive fires on Monday were burning in the East Gippsland region, a popular coastal holiday destination east of Melbourne, where an estimated 30,000 visitors have been staying over the New Year period. One fire, sparked by dry lightning between Cann River and Mallacoota, travelled 24km in six hours early on Monday morning. The Victorian Emergency Management commissioner, Andrew Crisp, said it had been a “high-risk day” in Victoria and people who chose to stay at the holiday town of Lakes Entrance might now be stuck there. Properties in the areas of Bundoora, Greensborough and Mill Park had to be protected by water bombers as fire swept suddenly out of the Plenty Gorge Creek. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison (2nd L) and New South Wales (NSW) Premier Gladys Berejiklian (3rd L) receive a briefing from Rural Fire Service (RFS) Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons (R) at the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) Headquarters in Sydney on Dec. 29. A handout photo made available by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of a satellite image showing part of mainland Australia, on Dec. 26, where bushfires raged through in the southeastern states and territories, especially intense around the South Australian city of Adelaide, bottom left. The Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, returned to Melbourne from a family holiday and was being briefed on the fires on Monday evening. As the fire emergency that has ebbed and flowed for several months continued, many regional communities and two Sydney councils cancelled scheduled New Year’s Eve fireworks shows. On Monday afternoon the Rural Fire Service gave the go-ahead for the Sydney Harbour fireworks show to go ahead after a fierce public debate about whether it was appropriate or safe during the bushfire crisis.
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