Aussie bushfires wreak havoc as death toll rises, several missing

The Rural Fire Service has confirmed seven people have died in bushfires that swept NSW's South Coast as people shop in the dark for supplies and tourists try to get home before conditions take a turn for the worse.

The NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) today confirmed three more bodies had been found after the earlier deaths of four people.

Yesterday, the bodies of a father and son were found in Cobargo - it is believed they died while trying to defend their property.

The body of a man was found in a burnt-out car on a road off the Princes Highway at Yatte Yattah near Lake Conjola.

Volunteer firefighter Samuel McPaul, 28, died after his truck flipped in the Green Valley blaze in Jingellic, 70 kilometres east of Albury near the NSW-Victoria border.

NSW Deputy Police Commissioner Gary Worboys today said three more bodies were found at Lake Conjola.

"Sadly, we can report today that police have confirmed a further three deaths as a result of the fires on the South Coast," Deputy Commissioner Worboys said.

"Police are also at Lake Conjola now, where a house has been destroyed by fire and the occupant of that home is still unaccounted for. This goes on the back of the four deaths reported yesterday."

RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said he expected the death toll to rise this afternoon.

"The preliminary advice is that we will, sadly, see the number of people, the number of lives lost, that will climb this afternoon," Commissioner Fitzsimmons said.

The RFS also confirmed at least 176 homes had been destroyed.

Some of the worst loses were suffered in Conjola Park, where 89 homes were destroyed, and Malua Bay, where 40 homes were lost.

Deputy RFS Commissioner Rob Rogers said that total was "by no means the end".

- RNZ

Latest updates below:

'Like a war has roared through here'

Local journalist John Handscombe has shared footage of a burnt out truck which was abandoned by firefighters as a blaze tore through a region southwest of Nowra on the NSW South Coast.

"You can see just how close the call was for firefighters in this appliance last night," he said in a video shared on Twitter.

Talk about a close call. The firies has to abandon this truck on Hames Road southwest of Nowra when it was overrun by fire. #AustraliaBurns #nswisburning #NSWbushfires #AustraliaFires pic.twitter.com/mg3DGbplia

— John Hanscombe (@JohnHanscombe) January 1, 2020

"This truck had to be abandoned because the fire overran them, the guys actually ran out here with their breathing apparatus.

"This was such a close call, it still stinks of toxic stuff that was on that vehicle.

"Hames Road looks like a war has roared through here."

Boy describes 'scary' red haze

The young boy photographed fleeing the bushfires in the Victorian town of Mallacoota on a boat said his family were focused on "getting away from the fire and just being safe".

Finn Burns, the kid with long blonde hair who was captured wearing a mask and lifejacket while holding onto the engine amid the dark orange haze, spoke to Nine on Wednesday.

The 11-year-old travelled from the beach at Mallacoota, where 4000 residents were trapped, over to Goodwin Sands where they stayed with other friends.

"It was pretty scary but we're fine," he said.

"When we left it just went pitch black and it was really, really windy."

The youngster said he was "not really fussed" that the photo had made the front page of newspapers across Australia and on news website around the world.

"It's just a photo," he said.

"We were just worried about getting away from the fire and just being safe."

Finn said his Mum and Dad are both firefighters and the family had a bushfire survival plan.

"We just used it and it worked," he said.

They were allowed back into their house overnight.