News / More

Australia's PM apologizes for being on vacation while wildfires raged

Sunday, 22 December 2019 5:52 AM [ Last Update: Sunday, 22 December 2019 7:49 AM ]

Firefighters attend to burning property, on fire as a result of bushfires, in Bargo, southwest of Sydney, Australia, on December 21, 2019. (Photo by AFP)

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison visited the Rural Fire Service (RFS) headquarters in Sydney on Sunday, having returned from a holiday in Hawaii on Saturday night that has drawn sharp criticism as the wildfire crisis in his home state deepened.

After the deaths of two firefighters on Thursday (December 19) night, Morrison announced he would return home early, and on Sunday, he acknowledged his holiday had caused anxiety.

Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison at Gabba, in Brisbane, Australia, on November 20, 2019 (photo by AFP)

The intensity of fires eased overnight in New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia states, where fires had been burning out of control on Friday and Saturday as a combination of extreme heat and strong winds had created "catastrophic" conditions in some areas.

Smoke and haze are seen from a bushfire in Bargo, southwest of Sydney, Australia, on December 21, 2019. (Photo by AFP)

Fire conditions eased on some of the major fronts burning across Australia on Sunday after a cool weather change, with firefighters trying to contain blazes before hotter conditions are expected to return at the end of the week.

(Source: Reuters)

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk