Australian crews race to contain blazes as damage bill soars

Source: AP

By NICK PERRY and KRISTEN GELINEAU

BALMORAL, Australia (AP) — Bolstered by cooler weather and desperately needed rain, exhausted firefighters in Australia raced to shore up defenses against deadly wildfires before the blazes flare again within days when scorching temperatures are expected to return.

The first hints of the financial toll from the disaster began to emerge on Tuesday. The Insurance Council of Australia said the estimated damage bill had doubled in two days, with insurance claims reaching 700 million Australian dollars ($485 million).

That estimate comes one day after Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the government was committing an extra 2 billion Australian dollars ($1.4 billion) toward the recovery effort in addition to the tens of millions of dollars that have already been promised. Morrison’s funding announcement came amid fierce criticism from many Australians who say he has been too slow to respond to the crisis. He has also faced backlash for downplaying the need for his government to address climate change, which experts say helps supercharge the blazes.

The fires, fueled by drought and the country’s hottest and driest year on record, have been raging since September, months earlier than is typical for Australia’s annual wildfire season. So far, the blazes have killed 25 people, destroyed 2,000 homes and scorched an area twice the size of the U.S. state of Maryland. Three people in New South Wales state who were reported missing earlier Tuesday were later found, police said.



New South Wales Rural Fire Service crew members from Horsley Park RFS carry the casket of NSW RFS volunteer Andrew O'Dwyer during his funeral service at Our Lady of Victories Catholic Church in Horsley Park, Sydney, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020. O'Dwyer, 36, and RFS colleague Geoffrey Keaton were killed six days before Christmas when a tree fell in the path of their truck at the still-burning Green Wattle Creek fire, causing it to roll. (Twitter@NSWRFS via AP)


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