- Terrifying video captured the moment a fire and rescue crew in Australia were overrun by bushfires spreading rapidly through the South Coast of New South Wales.
- The video, posted to Twitter by Fire and Rescue New South Wales, was shot by crew members from Station 509 Wyoming who were traveling through roads south of Nowra as bushfires raged all around them.
- One of the crew members can be heard shouting for another crew member to "put the blanket up" over the truck windows as the flames crossed onto the other side of the road and engulfed nearby trees.
- Remarkably, the video ends with the crew relatively unscathed as they continue driving down the fiery road.
- New South Wales has been experiencing what officials have called the worst bushfire season on record, resulting in the deaths of at least seven people and the loss of nearly 1,300 homes.
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Terrifying video shows the moment a fire and rescue crew in Australia were overrun by bushfires spreading rapidly through the South Coast of New South Wales and were forced to take shelter in their truck as the fire passed.
The video was posted to Twitter by Fire and Rescue New South Wales on December 31 and was shot by crew members from Station 509 Wyoming, who were traveling through roads south of Nowra as bushfires raged all around them.
Embers can be seen flying past the truck as trees burn in the distance. A few seconds into the video, a massive fire front sweeps past the truck, forcing the crew to take temporary shelter inside the vehicle as they waited for the flames to pass.
One of the crew members can be heard shouting for another crew member to "put the blanket up" over the truck windows as the flames crossed onto the other side of the road and engulfed nearby trees.
Remarkably, the video ends with the crew relatively unscathed as they continue driving down the fiery road.
Watch the incredible footage here:
The crew from Fire and Rescue NSW Station 509 Wyoming recorded this video showing the moment their truck was overrun by the bushfire burning South of Nowra. The crew was forced to shelter in their truck as the fire front passed through. #NSWFires #ProtectTheIrreplaceable pic.twitter.com/Hb0yVrefi9
— Fire and Rescue NSW (@FRNSW) December 31, 2019
The video has since been retweeted over 21,000 times.
On Thursday local time, Fire and Rescue NSW posted a photo of some of the crew members involved in the incident.
"We can confirm that the entire crew are ok," the caption above the photo reads.
Today, our Commissioner Paul Baxter caught up with a few of our Firefighters from Strike Team Golf whose trucks were overrun by bushfire burning South of Nowra on New Years Eve. Yes, these are some crew members from ‘that’ video. We can confirm that the entire crew are ok. pic.twitter.com/De5oWU0Ezs
— Fire and Rescue NSW (@FRNSW) January 2, 2020
New South Wales has been experiencing what officials have called the worst bushfire season on record. As of 5:30 a.m. local time on Thursday, more than 110 fires were burning across the state.
At 5.30am there are 110 fires burning across NSW with over 50 yet to be contained.
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) January 1, 2020
Firefighters will make the most of more favourable conditions today to protect properties before deteriorating conditions again this Saturday.#NSWRFS #NSWFires pic.twitter.com/vb3o55n8XU
According to the New South Wales Rural Fire Service, 1,298 homes have been destroyed so far in the state this fire season.
According to the BBC, fires have burned more than 4 million hectares (9.9 million acres) of land in New South Wales.
New South Wales Police say at least seven people have been killed in bushfires affecting the South Coast.
In nearby Victoria, 17 people remain missing as bushfires rage through the Gippsland region.
Ecologists from the University of Sydney have estimated that nearly 500 million mammals, birds, and reptiles have been killed in the bushfires since the season started in September.
- Read more:
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- The bushfires in Australia are so big they're generating their own weather — 'pyrocumulonimbus' thunderstorms that can start more fires
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