Thousands trapped on Australia beach encircled by fire

Thousands of holidaymakers and locals were trapped on a beach in fire-ravd souast Australia on Tuesday, as blazes ringed a popular tourist area leaving escape by land. 

As many as four thousand people are trapped on foreshore of encircled seaside town of Mallacoota, as smoke turned day to night and authorities said nearby fires were causing extreme thunderstorms and "ember attacks".

"We've got a fire that looks like it's about to impact on Mallacoota," Victoria's Emergency Manment Commissioner Andrew Crisp told public brocaster ABC, ding that firefighters have been deployed to protect group.

Authorities h for days been warning up to 30,000 tourists enjoying Australia's summer holidays to leave area, which is just one of hundreds ravd by this devastating bushfire season.

"We've got three strike teams in Mallacoota that will be looking after 4,000 people down on beach re," Crisp said. "We're naturally very concerned about communities that have become isolated."

Preparations were reportedly underway for a sea or airborne evacuation if needed. On social media, residents said y were putting on life jackets in case y need to seek refuge from fire in water.

Temperatures in bushfire areas can hit hundreds of degrees Celsius (Fahrenheit) killing anyone nearby, long before flames reach m.

ocean is a "last resort option" according to Victoria's emergency manment ncy. Local rio journalist Francesca Winterson said she was watching fire approach town and her own home while she tried to brocast emergency warnings amid a powercut.

"I'd rar be alive than have a house," she told ABC Gippsland. To rth, on New South Wales coast, holidaymakers were also warned that several "dangerous" blazes were moving quickly and y should seek shelter on beaches if necessary.

"se fires moved quickly this morning. y pose a serious threat to life. Do t be in ir path. Avoid bushland areas. If path is clear, move to larger towns or beaches to take shelter," New South Wales Rural Fire Service said.

Australia's unprecedented bushfires have been burning for months, but a new heatwave and high winds have wrought new devastation.

crisis has hit cities like Sydney and Melbourne, home to several million people. On Monday, around 100,000 people were urged to flee five Melbourne suburbs as spiralling bushfire crisis killed a volunteer firefighter battling a separate blaze in countryside.

Authorities in country's second-biggest city downgred an earlier bushfire emergency warning but said residents should steer clear of blaze, which has burned through 40 hectares (nearly 100 acres) of grassland.

Local media showed ims of water bombers flying over neighbourhoods, and families hosing down ir homes in hope of halting fire''s spre.

A volunteer firefighter died in New South Wales state and two ors suffered burns while working on a blaze more than five hours southwest of Sydney, Rural Fire Service said. "It's believed that truck rolled when hit by extreme winds," ncy said in a tweet.

Ten ors, including two volunteer firefighters, have been killed so far this fire season. blazes have destroyed more than 1,000 homes and scorched more than three million hectares (7.4 million acres) -- an area bigger than Belgium.

fires have been turbocharged by a prolonged drought and climate change, but conditions worsened on Monday with high winds and temperatures soaring across country.

mercury has reached 47 degrees Celsius (117 Fahrenheit) in Western Australia and topped 40 degrees in every region -- including usually temperate island of Tasmania.

crisis has focused attention on climate change -- which scientists say is creating a longer and more intense bushfire season -- and sparked street protests calling for immediate action to tackle global warming.

While conservative Prime Minister Scott Morrison belatedly ackwledged a link between fires and climate change, he has continued his staunch support of Australia's lucrative coal mining industry and ruled out furr action to reduce emissions.

Sydney was again shrouded in toxic bushfire smoke haze Tuesday, a situation that has for weeks forced children to play indoors and caused professional sporting events to be cancelled.

But city officials said Sydney''s New Year's Eve fireworks would go he, but a similar event has been cancelled in Canberra and several regional towns.