Australia bushfires - ‘World’s biggest’ megafire the size of Belgium kills two as blazes merge in record 44C heatwave.
TWO volunteer firefighters were killed battling Australia's megafire as infernos continue to rage and merge, torching an area the size of Belgium.
Mr Keaton and Mr O'Dwyer, both Rural Fire Service volunteers, were killed just before midnight on Thursday when their truck rolled off the road after being as they travelled in a convoy near Buxton. RFS commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said Mr Keaton’s family had a tradition of volunteering and his father had been out fighting the Gospers Mountain blaze when he lost his son.
He said: “This really is a black arm band day for the Rural Fire Service, indeed the entire firefighting fraternity.“The commissioner is ensuring that all of these firefighters and their families receive the welfare and support that they deserve and I know it’s what the community will demand. Meanwhile, pressure had been building on Scott Morrison over his holiday as millions of people choked on toxic smoke in Sydney and exhausted firefighters battled on.In a statement issued today, Morrison said: "I deeply regret any offence caused to any of the many Australians affected by the terrible bushfires by my taking leave with family at this time."
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