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Thousands told to jump into the ocean as Australia's raging fires approached

"At that point, I was praying. I was an atheist. I was praying to God, praying to Jesus, turn the wind."

Amanda Yeo

on December 30, 2019

Thousands told to jump into the ocean as Australia's raging fires approached

What the small beach town of Mallacoota in Australia looked like as fires neared on Dec. 31, 2019, local time. Credit: Courtesy of brendanh_au via Twitter

The sun didn't rise on New Year's Eve. The summer morning in a small beach town on the east coast of Australia looked like a winter's night.

That black sky soon gave way to a blazing, eerie orange as the flames approached. At least 4,000 people were told to jump into the ocean if the worse came to pass. Gas cylinders could be heard popping like fireworks as they exploded.

The town of Mallacoota looked apocalyptic on Tuesday local time as it became the latest victim of Australia's out-of-control bushfires.

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It was too late to evacuate.

"We are one road in, one road out. That road's been blocked for hours and hours and hours," Francesca Winterson from Mallacoota Community Radio told News Breakfast, a national TV broadcast.

"[T]he emergency services sounded their sirens all around town, telling people that's it, get into your safe place."

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Mallacoota, in Victoria, has over 1,000 residents, and is also a popular camping destination during the Christmas and New Year holidays, leading to a surge in population.

"At that point, I was praying. I was an atheist. I was praying to God, praying to Jesus, turn the wind," David Geoffrey, owner of Mallacoota's Wave Oasis bed and breakfast, told Australia's ABC News.

Strong winds, lack of rain, and a historical heatwave have exacerbated Australia's bushfire crisis, spreading the fires with incredible speed. At least nine people have died so far, including three volunteer firefighters. Over 11 million acres have burned, with approximately 900 homes destroyed in the state of New South Wales alone. Escape routes have been blocked, towns engulfed.

"[T]hey wanted us to get into the water, get against that [rock] wall," Geoffrey said. "It's got oysters and stuff, not the greatest thing to do but it will save you from radiant heat, it's a barrier. So we were ready to jump in. And everyone was all along the edge, ready to go."

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"It was pitch black until about five minutes ago, now the sky is red," resident Mark Tregellas told ABC Gippsland just before 10 a.m. "It’s starting to get embers coming out of the sky, the wind is coming directly at us from the west so everyone’s about as prepped and ready as they can be."

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Australia's bushfires have been burning since July and are expected to continue for months, with below-average rainfall predicted until at least March.

Many Australians blame this disastrous fire season on climate change. Hot, dry conditions across the country have turned Australia's bushland into easy kindling, the country's average temperature climbing to a record-breaking high this year.

"[There's a direct link] because what climate change does is exacerbate the conditions in which the bushfires happen," Australian National University's Dr. Imran Ahmed told the BBC.

Amanda Yeo

Assistant Editor

Amanda Yeo is an Assistant Editor at Mashable, covering entertainment, culture, tech, science, and social good. Based in Australia, she writes about everything from video games and K-pop to movies and gadgets.