While the rest of the nation and the world celebrated the start of the new year, residents of southeast Australia were dealing with bushfires and have been sharing photos and videos on social media that show just how bad things are. The fires have been fueled by high, dry winds and soaring temperatures, and have forced thousands of people to leave their homes. One video that has gone viral is one shared by the New South Wales' Fire and Rescue department that shows a rescue vehicle surrounded by fire. The viral video shows personnel being forced to take shelter in the truck to escape the raging fires. The video shows the rescue personnel holding blankets near the windows of the vehicle to prevent shards of glass from hitting them, in case they shatttered due to the high temperatures. Watch the video here: The video has over 3.5 million views on Facebook and another 3 million on Twitter. While many praised the firefighters and other volunteers for their bravery, others criticised politicians and leaders, who they said weren't doing enough. The bravery of these humans is just eye watering. I’ve never been prouder to be an Australian. We are all behind you ❤️ #NSWFires #VictoriaFires #AustralianFires #bushfires pic.twitter.com/WFcj3r6onH — chris riddell (@chrisriddell) December 31, 2019 😳 😱 And to think this is a 1 minute clip of what fire fighters across Australia are experiencing. You’re all amazing. We are all behind you. We are fighting for climate action in your name. Stay safe, know we are so incredibly, incredibly grateful — Dr Katy Thomson (@DMckateface) December 31, 2019 "Jasper, put the blanket up." Gutwrenching words, a mere blanket against *that?* It feels like we are asking way too much of these human beings. The psychological cost is incalculable. — Nicki J (@mtdruittnoir) December 31, 2019 I just cannot comprehend their bravery - that is terrifying. We owe these people so so much! — ◾️◾️◾️◾️◾️ (@kaz_neena) December 31, 2019 Well there’s some home viewing for @ScottMorrisonMP while having a break from backyard cricket - why did he not meet with fireies before this year’s fire season? if it were any other public servant they would be sacked and sanctioned for dereliction of duty #SackMorrison #Auspol — Theo 🐻 (@Theodore_Bear) January 1, 2020 as Scott Morrison is having a glitzy shindig at Kirribilli, his #NSWisBurning this is what firefighters face as they battle #NSWbushfires 😨 pic.twitter.com/Rs5aGRAN08 yet his Govt refuses to pay for waterbombing aircraft, they’re idle in a hanger overseas#BushfireCrisis #AusPol — Mark 🎧🎼✊🏻 🔴⚪️💙 (@WorldOfMarkyD) December 31, 2019 While Australia Burns to the ground.. the NSW emergency services minister @DavidElliottMP is holidaying in Europe and @ScottMorrisonMP is watching fireworks at Kirribilly house drinking beers. How good is our failed government?!? #auspol #nswisburning #ScoMoResign pic.twitter.com/T7ZcNGwkwM — alexander supertramp (@superathlete9) December 31, 2019 Social media has been flooded with videos and photos of the fires. They show people being forced to seek refuge at the beach, volunteers fighting to control spot fires, as well as red and orange skies in the region due to the fires. My last day of the decade felt like the apocalypse. Been covering the Australian bushfires for the last 6 weeks, but haven’t seen anything like yesterdays fire that decimated the town of Conjola, NSW. #bushfirecrisis #AustralianBushfires #NSWisburning work for @nytimes pic.twitter.com/KmVKqDMKsf — matthew abbott (@mattabbottphoto) January 1, 2020 For context, Dunedin is >2000km across the Tasman Sea from the fires creating all this this smoke. #NSWfires #NSWbushfires — Dr Darren Saunders (@whereisdaz) January 1, 2020 Bateman's Bay has turned dark red #AustralianFires #Australiaburns #BushfireCrisis pic.twitter.com/WbnH8DtifV — Ketan Joshi (@KetanJ0) December 31, 2019 From family down the NSW South Coast - evacuated with other holiday makes to water‘s edge at Lake Conjola. #NSWfires #AustraliaBurns pic.twitter.com/XDURLyuAGL — Calliste Weitenberg (@callirachel) December 31, 2019 NEW Video: Rosedale #bushfires #AustraliaBurns pic.twitter.com/7m1SQTZw6G — Julian Evans (@FocusNewsNow) January 1, 2020 Relieved and fortunate to have finally left #nswfires after being surrounded in every direction. Mixed emotions. Exhausted. Lucky. Sad. Angry. Climate change is real and we must act now. pic.twitter.com/NJD0DpRScl — Jana Favero (@janafavero) January 1, 2020 Personnel flee from the corner of Princes Hwy and Sussex Inlet. Currowan fire spotting everywhere. Car says 113 degrees fahrenheit , wind immense. Spot fire becomes inferno in minutes. #NSWfires #AustralianFires pic.twitter.com/vrB0S3ZUyN — BANDIT XRAY 🇺🇸 ⚔ (@BANDIT_XRAY) December 31, 2019 #batemansbay #NSWfires This is 12:15pm this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/Ey1lgZdkVP — Tom Scambler (@Tom_Scambler) December 31, 2019 Batemans Bay NSW, the sky glows red as the #bushfires threaten. #NSWfires #bushfiresNSW #nswbushfire #AustralianFires pic.twitter.com/znYBAMyAWP — I Sea (@RiffRaffBriz) December 31, 2019 Fierce fires blew up overnight in #Countegany north of #tathra and this was what we woke up to. Current advice is to stay put, roads out of here are closed and the surf club has become the local evacuation point 🤞#bushfire #bushfires suddenly got very real pic.twitter.com/4GEvWzZfZ2 — Jo Shipley (@Wheelerbird) December 30, 2019 Fierce fires blew up overnight in #Countegany north of #tathra and this was what we woke up to. Current advice is to stay put, roads out of here are closed and the surf club has become the local evacuation point 🤞#bushfire #bushfires suddenly got very real pic.twitter.com/4GEvWzZfZ2 — Jo Shipley (@Wheelerbird) December 30, 2019 This was Eden yesterday. on hols with the Mrs, kids & dog. Roads were closed until last night. Left at 5am, sketchiest drive to Cooma via Bega. Community in Eden were so warm to the evacuees. Eden is in for a tough week & we’re crossing everything for them. #nswisburning pic.twitter.com/XWOpGRBaSl — Ben Webster (@benwebster) January 1, 2020 #Christchurch New Zealand #bushfirecrisis darkening our sky in mid afternoon. Summer here in Southern Hemisphere. 2200kms away from Sydney. pic.twitter.com/tcI8VVieil — Jason (@Jiu_Jase) January 1, 2020 As many as four thousand people are trapped on the foreshore of the encircled seaside town of Mallacoota, as smoke turned day to night.😢 people have been forced to flee and seek shelter on the beach.#Tiredearth #AustraliaBurns #AustraliaFires #Australiabushfires #ClimateChange pic.twitter.com/onHCFS5IQu — Rebecca Herbert (@RebeccaH2020) December 31, 2019 Around 4,000 holiday-makers and locals gathered on the foreshore in the town of Mallacoota in Victoria state as an out-of-control bushfire bore down on the remote community. Rural towns further north in New South Wales state are ablaze or under attack from embers, as strong winds fan the flames. Many were angered by the fact that traditional New Year's Day celebrations featured fireworks as usual in Sydney despite the hardships being faced by others. At least 15 people are now believed to have died, while scores of people remain missing after weeks of fires that have ripped through Australia's east coast. Bushfires have destroyed more than 4 million hectares (10 million acres) and new blazes are sparked almost daily by extremely hot and windy conditions and, most recently, dry lightning strikes created by the fires themselves.
