The video, posted on Twitter by Fire and Rescue New South Wales, shows the terrifying moment that crew members were forced to shelter in their truck as the flames overtook them. ### “The crew from Fire and Rescue NSW Station 509 Wyoming recorded this video showing the moment their truck was overrun by the bushfire burning South of Nowra,” reads the tweet. ### “The crew was forced to shelter in their truck as the fire…
Idyllic coastal towns packed with tourists planning to ring in 2020 were cast in apocalyptic red on Tuesday, as smoke blotted out the sun. ### In the town of Mallacoota, which lies on the easternmost edge of the state of Victoria and is a well-known family camping spot, around 4,000 people fled to beaches, authorities said. ### “There’s no way in or out,” Mallacoota resident Jason Selmes told CNN after evacuating his home. ### Another…
NSW police confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that three people had been found dead due to fires along the south coast, adding to four deaths that had been reported Tuesday. ### Among the victims are a 63-year-old man and his 29-year-old son, who had stayed to defend their home from the flames in the rural township of Cobargo. ### There are also people unaccounted for, including a man whose house burned down in Lake Conjola, in…
A jet stream transporting large amounts of smoke and ash this week from the blazes in Victoria and New South Wales deposited them along the way in New Zealand’s South Island as they traveled east, according to CNN meteorologist Michael Guy. ### Pictures and videos taken on New Year’s Day show that the yellow haze had discolored the snowy mountain peaks and glaciers in the Southern Alps. ### Rey, an Australian woman living in Wellington,…
State Premier Gladys Berejiklian said Thursday that the emergency declaration would come into effect Friday morning as weather conditions are expected to deteriorate significantly on Saturday, raising the fire danger even further. ### This is the third time NSW has declared a state of emergency in as many months — the last two times, in November and December, were also for seven days, and granted extraordinary powers to the Rural Fire Service. ### Berejiklian said…
Powerful images from the funeral of Geoffrey Keaton — one of two firefighters killed while fighting bushfires on December 19 — were posted by New South Wales Fire Service. ### Harvey, Keaton’s young son, was dressed in a firefighter outfit with a pacifier in his mouth as New South Wales (NSW) Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons pinned the medal to his chest. ### His 32-year-old father had been awarded the posthumous Commendation for Bravery and…
In some parts of South Australia, authorities have raised a “severe” fire danger rating, which advised residents that evacuating early was “the safest option” for their survival. ### Temperatures were forecast to peak at a maximum of 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 Fahrenheit) in the state capital, Adelaide, on Saturday and Sunday, potentially rising to 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) on Monday, according to Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology (BOM). ### The heat wave was scheduled to reach…
It wasn’t the first time Heusler had seen koalas out and about on the roads while riding — but this koala’s reaction amazed her. ### “We stopped the bikes to help the koala get off the road otherwise they get hit by cars. But the koala walked up to me very quickly, he was obviously very thirsty,” Heusler told CNN. ### “As I was giving him a drink from our water bottles, he climbed up…
The Pacific Island nations of Tonga, Samoa and Kiribati were the first to see in the new year — when it was still 5 a.m. on December 31 on the East Coast of the United States and 11 a.m. UTC (Coordinated Universal Time, the global standard). New Zealand was next, an hour later. ### American Samoa, just 101 miles from Samoa but in an entirely different timezone, must wait a full day before seeing in…
No. 17 Michigan’s 35-16 loss to No. 9 Alabama in the Citrus Bowl served as the familiar referendum on the Wolverines after five years under coach Jim Harbaugh. The Wolverines are a little more than halfway there, but that second half continues to elude a program desperate to join college football’s first class. That was true against the Crimson Tide for one game, and it will be the narrative again heading into the 2020 season…