All language subtitles for Fire.Front.2022.720p.WEBRip.x264.AAC-[YTS.MX].eng

[UNSETTLING MUSIC]

[MUSIC INTENSIFIES]

[HELICOPTER WHIRS]

[SIREN WAILS]

[MAN SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY
ON TWO-WAY RADIO] ..1421.

Request your assistance.
Over.

[SIREN CONTINUES WAILING]

[INDISTINCT TWO-WAY RADIO
COMMUNICATION]

[EXPLOSION BOOMS]

MAN: Let's go.

[SOLEMN MUSIC]

[LOUD KNOCKING]

OFFICER: Police.
Evacuate immediately.

-MAN: Go down here.
-MAN 2: Yeah.

MAN: 903, I've got two houses
on fire in Jabiru Street.

[MEN CONTINUE CONVERSATION
INDISTINCTLY]

-Yeah, I know, mate.
-[EXPLOSION BOOMS]

-[WIND ROARS]
-[EMBERS RUSTLE]

MAN: Hey, Steve,
is Jack up there?

[INDISTINCT TWO-WAY RADIO
COMMUNICATION]

[MAN SHOUTS] Get up here!

-There's a whole street.
-Quickly!

OFFICER: Police. Evacuate.

[FLAMES AND WIND ROAR]

OFFICER: You need to get out.
Don't go back in.

-[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
-[EXPLOSIONS BOOM]

MAN: Oh, no.

That's my house.

We're at my own door.

MAN: North. Go north, mate.

-WOMAN: No worries.
-MAN: Lead the way.

-WOMAN: Do you copy that?
-MAN: Keep going north.

WOMAN: I can't believe this.

How the fuck did this happen?

Oh, shit.

Oh, do I go past him?

Oh, God!

[APPROACHING SIREN WAILS]

MAN: We're out.
We've passed it.

WOMAN: Oh, we were before.

-[CONVERSATION CONTINUES]
-[SIRENS WAIL]

[WOMAN BREATHES HEAVILY]
Jesus Christ.

[TENSE MUSIC]

NEWSREADER: Australia's
seen both the warmest

and the driest year on record.

Never before have both
of those benchmarks

been broken
in the same 12-month period,

and the forecast suggests,

for the next few months
at least,

the relief is not coming.

[DEEP RUMBLING]

[HELICOPTER WHIRS]

MAN: Three weeks ago,

I saw some widespread
thunderstorm activity.

But literally
hundreds of thousands

of lightning strikes

starting fires
from Queensland

right down to
our far-south coast.

MAN: Bushfires,
they're a regular feature

on the Australian calendar

but never before have they
occurred on such a scale

as we're seeing at the moment
so early in the season.

REPORTER:
Just days out of winter

and there are
at least 40 bushfires

burning across the state.

Today, the message
from authorities was clear -

get ready because
the worst is yet to come.

-WOMAN: It's Wendy. Go ahead.
-MAN ON RADIO: Fire station.

For your information, there
is a strike team expected...

MAN 2: Yesterday, I believe
we had over 200 volunteers

fighting the fires

and we're looking towards

a challenging day
today as well.

-Morning, welcome.
-Morning.

-OK.
-OK.

MAN: But at the moment
I've taken holidays

and I'm spending
my holidays out here

helping work with
the rest of the team,

helping the community,
doing what we can

to hopefully get these fires
out and keep everybody safe.

WENDY: So at the moment,
what they're doing out there

is they're putting in
containment lines

to hold what fire there is
out there now,

and there's still fire
out there.

MAN: And there's some places
there and then right beyond.

MAN 2: I'm just here just
wetting everything down,

making sure it's all,
you know, sort of secure.

There's tons of old timber
underneath the house.

MAN: It's very natural
for people

that live in bushland areas
to have a fire plan,

but people need to be
tuned in

to the local bushfire risk.

MAN 2: Just cleaning the roof

and trying to tidy up
the property, just...

Think we're pretty right here
for the fires

but the embers
might get to us,

so that's what
we're cleaning up for.

To prepare for that
and hope for the best, really.

That's all.

[HELICOPTER WHIRS]

MAN: Um, kids and dogs
are already gone.

So I think just a bit
more trimming of trees

and cleaning up,
I think we'll be alright.

[INDISTINCT TWO-WAY RADIO
COMMUNICATION]

[SIREN WAILS]

MAN: Can you confirm
your fleet number? Over.

-[EXPLOSIONS BOOM]
-[FLAMES AND WIND ROAR]

MAN: Gee, the wind's swirling.

MAN 2: Yeah, it is, isn't it?

MAN 3: Over there,
it's from this direction.

MAN 4: OK, so we need...
Just...

We need crew out here to
make sure we're not gonna...

WOMAN ON TWO-WAY RADIO:
Delta 290.

MAN: Yeah, getting
heavy fire impact on 392.

Um, it's crowning through
the backyard.

[MAN SIGHS]

[MAN SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY
ON TWO-WAY RADIO]

Another structure alight...

MAN 2: These bushfires
started in August

instead of October

and have burned more land
in this first month

than the last three
fire seasons put together.

We're losing control.

-[HELICOPTER WHIRS]
-[DEEP RUMBLING]

The bush up here is so dry,
it just explodes into flame

and then it creates
its own wind and that...

There's, like, a 10ft wall
of flame coming at you

and just...

-It's just, um...
-[DEEP RUMBLING]

..something
you don't ever see.

[MAN 2 EXCLAIMS] Back up.

[SIREN WAILS]

MAN: We've gotta keep
reminding ourselves

we're experiencing
an awful drought,

and indeed the lack of
moisture in the vegetation

means these fires
are spreading very easily.

It's a very dangerous
and volatile situation.

These catastrophic conditions
are where lives are lost.

It's where people die.

I'm driven because everybody

that goes out
on these firegrounds

deserves to go home.

[TRUCK HORN HONKS]

[SIREN WAILS]

MAN: This has been going on
for seven to eight weeks

and we've just been doing it
the whole time.

The other day we had
to fight 'em up there.

So now we're over here.

[HELICOPTER WHIRS]

[TENSE MUSIC]

REPORTER ON PHONE:
Peter, can you tell us

what is happening around you?

PETER: We've got
a massive fireball storm

blowing up from the south.

It's just sprung up
in the last half an hour.

There's flames.

They've gotta be 60ft high
coming through the back.

-[WIND ROARS]
-[EXPLOSIONS BOOM]

PETER: It is strong.
It's coming.

We've got burning embers.

[FLAMES ROAR]

[OBJECTS CLATTER]

[EXPLOSIONS BOOM]

MAN: What the hell?

[RUMBLING AND BANGING]

REPORTER: And, I mean, Peter,
it sounds to me

like you need to be making
the decision

to get out of there.

-Are you...
-PETER: Going early.

MAN: The road
is completely blocked.

It's engulfed.

The whole street is gone.

It's just gone.

[SIREN WAILS]

[SOLEMN MUSIC]

[INDISTINCT TWO-WAY RADIO
COMMUNICATION]

We've got literally, you know,

more than a million hectares

burning across New South Wales
at the moment,

and we've got just under 2,000
firefighters and personnel

working on these firegrounds,
and it's tough.

-[HELICOPTER WHIRS]
-[SIREN WAILS]

REPORTER: Emergency Management
Commissioner Andrew Crisp

has called for backup.

CRISP: We've put in an order
to North America

to get some specialist
aviation resources.

We've also asked
for firefighters

that can work under remote
and arduous conditions.

Truck in.

We had a member of our Oscar
Strike Team hit by a car.

I'm glad that he's not
seriously injured

but they're taking him
to hospital.

Really scary when you hear
things like that.

It's a big concern
working on roads,

especially in conditions
like this.

REPORTER: For almost a year,

22 firefighting experts
have been pushing politicians

to expand
the national strategy

before it got to this.

[SIRENS WAIL]

MORRISON: This is a time

when Australia
should be very, very proud

that we have
the best resourced,

most coordinated,

best equipped fire services
of any nation on Earth

to deal with this.

And the volunteer effort
is a big part

of our natural disaster
response across the country,

which numbers
in the, you know,

the tens of thousands,
hundred thousands.

And the fact is
that these crews, um,

they wanna be out there
defending their communities.

And in many cases,
you've gotta hold them back.

CANADIAN REPORTER:
For most firefighters,

this is the most catastrophic
fire of their career,

some fighting blazes that have
been burning since September

and it's about to get worse.

So it's surprising to learn
who these firefighters are.

I have grandchildren
but I wanna feel

as if I meet people of
different age brackets.

I work at Off the Hook.
It's a fish and chip shop.

I'm actually the owner

of a construction company
in town here.

CANADIAN REPORTER:
On this crew,

three teachers
and an Uber driver.

MAN: The average age
for an RFS member is 65.

MAN 2: Because I'm retired,

I can take the load off
these younger blokes,

who have got mortgages,
family, businesses to run.

And if I'm not there,
someone's gotta do it,

so I figure why not me?

[WIND ROARS]

MAN: We're running around
in private vehicles

using our private diesel,
chainsaws, fuel

to put these fires out

'cause there's not enough
units on the ground.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC]

MAN: We go out there
with dodgy radios.

We go... It's really
tough and hard.

We need resources.

[MUSIC INTENSIFIES]

[CREW SHOUTS]

MAN: Holy fuck!

[DRAMATIC MUSIC CONTINUES]

[EXPLOSION BOOMS]

MAN: Fuck, that's
fucking massive, man.

I have never seen that before.

[FLAMES AND WIND ROAR]

It's so fucking hot.

Hose, hose!

Need more hose here. Good.

-MAN: Ben.
-BEN: Yeah?

-You're almost out of water.
-BEN: I know.

[EXPLOSION BOOMS]

[FLAMES ROAR]

REPORTER: How are you

and the rest of the people
on your team feeling?

I can't say
'cause I'd swear, so...

We're buggered,
but you gotta keep goin'.

[SOBS]

Otherwise we're screwed.

-[CREW SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY]
-[MACHINERY RATTLES]

MAN: You're well over
your 8-hour shifts.

You were passing
your 20-hour shift.

Just knackered.

MAN: All the crew to this area
are just hurting.

We're running
between many jobs.

Triple-O calls coming in
from all directions

that we're trying to assist.

[SIREN WAILS]

WOMAN: I'm living in an area

threatened by the Green
Wattle Creek bushfire,

and our bush firefighters
are exhausted.

Some of them have taken off
time from their jobs

and they're casual,
so they're not being paid.

And it was like
a slap in the face

when Scott Morrison said
the volunteers were there

because they wanted to be.

I'm absolutely enraged
at his attitude

to the bushfires
and what's happening.

MAN: The canaries
in the coalmine

are the first responders,

the people who put themselves
in harm's way

to keep us out of it.

MAN 2: We really don't know
what's going to happen

when you have so many
volunteer first responders

dealing with
an event like this

and then having to go back
to their normal life.

MAN 3:
There's some scars there

and we'll deal with that
as we go.

[FLAMES AND WIND ROAR]

MAN: Need units now
and we need them now.

Just get me everything
you got as soon as you can.

[EXPLOSIONS BOOM]

MAN 2: Further to that,

ESOs are just assessing
the RFS members down.

Some of them
are suffering burns

to their hands and face.

Further information
relayed later. Over.

-I'm alright, I'm alright.
-MAN: You alright?

Come round the back, mate.
Come round the back.

-Come round the back.
-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Or even on the grass
would be good.

-Where you hurting, matey?
-I'm OK. I'm alright.

Can we get him in the truck?

[SOLEMN MUSIC]

REPORTER: The Deputy Prime
Minister Michael McCormack

is on the line.

McCORMACK ON PHONE:
Good morning.

REPORTER: The east coast
of Australia

bracing for
catastrophic conditions.

Why are you so upset at people

raising the question
of climate change

and its link to the drought

and the conditions that
have enabled these fires

to take hold so fast?

McCORMACK: Well, they don't
need the ravings

of some pure, enlightened

and woke
capital-city greenies

at this time,

and all those other
inner-city raving lunatics,

and, quite frankly, sometimes
you do meet these groups

and honestly all they
wanna do is waste your time.

REPORTER: Just that
it's not only them.

It's also the mayor of
Glen Innes, Carol Sparks.

REPORTER 2: Carol, how would
you describe the mood

amongst the people
of your town?

CAROL ON PHONE:
It's just devastating.

It's a big mess. We've been
there for 40 years.

We've never seen it
like this.

I think that
Michael McCormack

needs to read the science.

The overall thing is we are
so dry in this country.

We haven't had rain for years
in some places.

[UNSETTLING MUSIC]

[GRIM MUSIC]

REPORTER: East of Glen Innes,
a community is in tatters.

Two victims, Vivian Chaplain
and George Nole.

WOMAN ON PHONE: I was
the last one to speak to her.

She was in an absolute panic.

Um, she said, "We're on fire.
There's fire everywhere.

"I need the boys here now."

And before I even got
to tell her to just get out,

um, she'd hung up on me.

I couldn't get back
through to her.

I tried so my times.

REPORTER: Barnaby Joyce,
the Member for New England,

joins us on the phone.

JOYCE ON PHONE:
I don't have a problem

with people who vote Greens,

but the two people who died

were most likely people
who voted for green parties,

and it's green policies that
have exacerbated this fire.

Because when they can
back-burn, it doesn't happen,

or it doesn't happen
to the extent it needs to,

and that's just a fact.

MAN: The reality is we've had
fire down the landscape here

that has had burns
go right through it

and it hasn't
slowed it up at all.

And so the emotive argument
is not supported

that fuel-reduction burning
on a large scale

will fix all our problems.

It's really just a load of
rubbish, to be honest.

IMAM: Allahu akbar.

REPORTER: As people
in bushfire-affected states

continue to grapple
with blazes

that have raged for months,

the city's Islamic society

has held a special prayer
for rain.

The worshippers were keen
to show their support

for those persevering through
the horrific conditions.

NEWSREADER: 20,000 people

are tonight in the path
of the fire

rolling down
the Blue Mountains

into the town of Lithgow.

We were warned of
catastrophic conditions

and right now
there are seven fires

burning at emergency level.

NEWSREADER 2:
Temperatures in Sydney's west

are forecast to hit
a searing 47 degrees,

with northerly winds

that could push flames
into the Blue Mountains -

an explosive combination.

MAN: There's that many
little fires come up,

there's not enough
firefighters and fire trucks

to be...one on every house.

So we're gonna stay here
and do what we can

to protect our house
and our neighbors' houses.

WOMAN: We will stay
as long as possible, um,

and try and save
our few possessions, but...

We've worked hard for this,

so not gonna let it
burn down, mate.

[SIREN WAILS]

[DRAMATIC MUSIC]

MAN: I just heard a loud
'kaboom' 5 or 10 minutes ago.

I'm scared witless.

[EXPLOSION BOOMS]

Um, I'm very afraid
for all of us.

MAN: Back you come.
Back you come, back you come.

[FIRE ALARM BEEPS]

Come on! Let's go!
Come on, quick!

Go, go, go!

That's my car.

-Don't worry about it.
-I can't. Over here.

WOMAN: Terrifying.

Very terrifying.

Nothing I've seen before.

[FIRE ALARM BEEPS]

-[WIND ROARS]
-[METAL CLANGS]

FITZSIMMONS: The amount
of conversations

I've had with firefighters
that feel they've failed

because they've lost
a property in their town,

they haven't been able
to save everything,

they care, they worry
about what's going on.

MAN: It's a horrible feeling.

Uh, I can't describe it.

The feeling of helplessness.

The feeling of guilt.

I know that I did
everything I could.

But you still feel

that you wished that
you could protect everywhere.

-[SIREN WAILS]
-[INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER]

MAN: You just gotta
keep going. You can't stop.

This is it.

If we stop,
who's gonna stop it?

BRITISH REPORTER: Smog and ash
linger over Sydney

as Australian firefighters

struggle to contain the blazes
surrounding the city.

[FERRY HORN BLARES]

I've never seen smoke

this thick
throughout the city.

Like, I honestly don't know
how close to here

the fires may come,

and it's
a pretty heavy situation.

It's almost a little bit hard
to breathe.

You can see it all around me.

The smoke.

And it's hur... It stings
the eyes. It's like... Arggh!

I can even...
it's getting that thick,

I can even taste it.

MAN 2: It's crazy
to see it here.

Like, I dunno, kind of
puts it in perspective

of, like, how bad
it really is.

WOMAN: At a time of crisis,
at a time of emergency,

we need national leadership.

Everyone is gathered here
today to ask one question -

where the bloody hell
is the Prime Minister?

[OMINOUS MUSIC]

MAN: I've gotta watch what
I say because I'm very tired.

I've been at multiple fires.

Everything I hear
from the government is,

"We're doing this,
we're doing this.

"Aren't we good?
Aren't we good?"

But this is what the fire
and emergency chiefs,

former chiefs and I

tried to warn
the Prime Minister about

back in April and May,

and we weren't listened to.

[EXPLOSION BOOMS]

Um... When is the penny
gonna drop with this guy?

MAN: Can't get worse
than that, Andrew.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC]

Scott Morrison thought
the right response

to these fires
erupting in Australia

was to go and lie on a beach
in Hawaii.

That was a dereliction of his
duty as leader of Australia.

WOMAN: The firefighters
aren't taking a holiday.

Emergency services
aren't taking a holiday.

Why should he?

WOMAN 2: Twitter is just full
of just broken, bitter souls

who get into
these echo chambers

and want to go crazy
about stuff

that the ordinary person
doesn't care about.

Now, I understand
there are people who are upset

that he's gone at this time

when there's smoke haze
and there's bushfires,

but politicians,
at the end of the day,

have families, they're people,

and you just need that
relaxation to keep you going.

Otherwise you burn out.

MORRISON ON RADIO:
They know that, you know,

I don't hold a hose, mate,

and I don't sit
in the control room.

That's the brave people who
do that are doing that job.

There's lots of dads and mums
out there

who work hard all year
and try and treat their kids

at this time of year

and, mate, that's what
I was trying to do.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

This is coal. Don't be afraid.
Don't be scared.

U.S. REPORTER:
The country's prime minister,

Scott Morrison,

has a long history

of skepticism and denial
of climate science.

But this year,

the unprecedented fires come
amid record drought and heat.

[PROTESTERS CHANT]

PROTESTERS: Now!

-What do we want?
-Climate action!

-When do we want it?
-Now!

[CHEERING AND APPLAUSE]

I'm Senior Constable McBryant
from North West OSG.

I'm directing you
and your father

to cease your actions
which are preventing police

from reopening
this closed road.

This road
was temporarily closed

in accordance with
the Road Transport Act

to allow your safe movement.

I'm now directing a move

off this temporarily
closed roadway

so that we can reopen
the road.

I warn you that should you
fail to comply,

you may be arrested.

Force may be used.

-Did you understand anything?
-Yes.

You need to leave now.
Are you gonna leave for me?

-Yes.
-Excellent. Thank you.

[SOLEMN MUSIC]

REPORTER:
Fire authorities' fears

about what the current surge
of searing weather might bring

have been realized.

Of the hundred or so fires

that have stalked swathes of
New South Wales for weeks now,

four leapt to emergency level

under the horror conditions
earlier today.

MAN: OK, just be careful
of any trees.

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATION]

[BANG!]

[SIREN WAILS IN DISTANCE]

REPORTER:
Two volunteer firefighters

have lost their lives

on Sydney's
south-western outskirts.

REPORTER 2: Deputy Captain
Geoffrey Keaton

and firefighter Andrew O'Dwyer

were near Buxton

when a tree fell into
the path of their tanker.

FITZSIMMONS:
When this sort of tragedy

confronts an organization
like the RFS,

everybody hurts.

Both of these men
have young children.

I had the opportunity

to speak with some of
the extended family.

They are at a loss.

They're in extraordinary shock
and natural despair

at the enormity of
what's confronting them.

It's a sobering reminder
of the dangers

that our firefighters confront

every day
with these operations.

[SOLEMN MUSIC]

WOMAN: The two we lost
was absolutely tragic

and, you know, my grandkids

are often in
the fire station with us.

They hear
the adult conversations

and they know their parents
are on the fire trucks

or their grandpa's
on the fire trucks

or their uncle or...

They haven't got the ability
to do anything about it.

They just worry.

Scott Morrison
arrives home tomorrow,

leaving his wife and daughters
in Hawaii,

a trip the Prime Minister says
he had to take now

due to official visits
to Japan and India in January.

MORRISON: If I can return and
provide some moral support

to people who are out there
doing it really tough,

then that's what I can do

and that's what I'll be
very glad to do.

Yes, that's my recently built
house burning down...

..at the moment.

Here's our house.

-Don't...look.
-[WIND ROARS]

Don't look.

-[THUNDER CRACKS]
-[DRAMATIC MUSIC]

MAN: We've had over 154 fires
across South Australia today.

Temperatures
over 40 degrees.

Winds, at times,
gusting over 50km/h.

Uh, till we get
some relieving rain

across south-east Australia,

we'd expect these conditions
to continue for many months.

[SIREN WAILS]

[HORSES NEIGH]

Our largest concern
down here in South Australia

is, uh, a number of fires

that are occurring
on Kangaroo Island,

which is just a short
distance off the coast

near our capital city,
Adelaide.

INTERVIEWER: Prime Minister,
good morning and welcome home.

-The fires...
-Good morning, Jonathan.

The fires and the drought
haven't snuck up on us.

We've known for months

this was going to be
a horror summer.

The gut instinct
of our firefighters

echoed it was going
to be a bad summer.

Can we trust your
gut instincts as leader

if your gut told you
it was safe to go to Hawaii?

Um, these fires have been
going for some time

and they'll go
for some time yet,

but I gotta say, I get it that
people would have been upset

to know that I was holidaying
with my family

while their families
were under great stress.

-[GIRL SOBS]
-MAN: I know.

MORRISON: But it is also true
on each time

I've taken private family
leave as prime minister,

I've followed exactly
the same process.

There was...
there was no change.

Um, on my earlier leaves,
no statement was issued.

I took private family leave

and no objections were raised

by the press
on those occasions.

But I'm comforted by the fact

that Australians
would like me to be here,

just simply so I can
be here alongside them

as they're going through
this terrible time,

and so to those Australians
who, uh, um, uh, had...

..I had caused upset to,

then I apologize for that.

MAN ON TWO-WAY RADIO:
All stations, all stations,

stand by.

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]

In 58 years of doing this,

I've never seen
devastation like it.

And Brian Ayliffe,
a mate of mine, he's...

-WOMAN: I know Brian.
-And Brian's...

He's older than me,
and he's never seen it either.

We were talking about it
this morning.

All I can say is

if it comes up like last
Monday, God help the coast.

Yeah.

-[FLAMES CRACKLE]
-[WIND WHIPS SOFTLY]

-[TRUCK HORN HONKS]
-[TROUBLING MUSIC]

SANTA: Merry Christmas!

Ho-ho-ho!

MAN: There'll be no Christmas
for us.

We'll just keep fighting.

Sorry I'm not there, but we've
got some important work to do.

Ha...haven't even gone
Christmas shopping

or anything for me daughter.

Yeah, um, yeah, like,

we just tried so hard

save...saving people's homes
and everything.

Yeah...

[SOBS]

[TROUBLING MUSIC CONTINUES]

[TROUBLING MUSIC CONTINUES]

-[TROUBLING MUSIC FADES]
-[TRAFFIC HUBBUB]

REPORTER: Tourism authorities

are urging holidaymakers
to think twice

before canceling Christmas
and summer getaway plans

due to extensive bushfires
across the country.

WOMAN: Look, it is
the busiest time of the year

for a lot of
our regional communities

from a holiday point of view,
so that's why I say check,

don't assume
the place you were going to

is going to be a problem.

MAN: It's a hugely popular
area at this time of year,

particularly for people
to come and camp.

WOMAN: Who wants
to go camping?

Me!

MAN: These are all
the holiday cabins

of Lake Conjola all around us.

MAN 2: This is a fantastic
spot to stay.

We're in south
New South Wales.

WOMAN: And this is
our whole place

and now we've gotta try
and put up our tents.

-Do you want some more bacon?
-Hello, kookaburra.

Hello, kookaburra.

REPORTER: CEO of the Tourism
& Transport Forum Australia

Margy Osmond is urging people

to do their research
before canceling any plans.

Paul Preston,

what are conditions like there
this morning?

PRESTON: They're very nice.
They're...

It's smoky again, but there's
no wind. The ocean's flat.

[HOLIDAYMAKERS
LAUGH AND CHATTER]

WOMAN: Yeah,
I just can't believe

you can go from
such blue skies this way

to such dark ones
all around this way.

[WIND WHIPS]

MAN: Last night,
we started to get messages

from various friends.

WOMAN: Look at that!

-[UNSETTLING MUSIC]
-Stay on the grass.

[UNSETTLING MUSIC CONTINUES]

[CAMPERS LAUGH AND CHATTER]

FITZSIMMONS:
These fires have spread

faster and further

than the modeling

and the fire weather
predictions

suggested they would.

REPORTER: This afternoon,

police began going
door to door,

advising residents
and holidaymakers to evacuate.

WOMAN: Gotta evacuate,
have we?

MAN: I'm not evacuating, love.

-I'm not evacuating.
-But the fire's...

-I know that.
-Yeah.

-[GRIM MUSIC BUILDS]
-[CONVERSATION CONTINUES]

I know.

Been here since '52.

I'm not going to run.

REPORTER: Are you thinking
you might leave?

No, well, I won't be leaving.

[SIRENS WAIL]

MAN ON RADIO:
Houses under threat

on Southern Parkway.

We have fire everywhere.

MAN 2: Yeah, copy that.

NEWSREADER: Scores of fires
are burning out of control

across Australia
amid a heatwave

which has seen temperatures

exceed 40 Celsius
in every state.

Officials are predicting
a day of extreme danger

with a hundred fires
burning away.

More than 40 of them
are uncontained.

If you can leave,
you must leave.

If you don't, we simply cannot
guarantee your safety.

[SIREN WAILS]

NEWSREADER ON TV:
In an unprecedented move,

authorities have told the
entire East Gippsland region

to leave before fire
conditions worsen tomorrow.

He said the next morning is...
it's too late.

So, yeah, that made my mind up
straightaway.

I've got everything I could
possibly fit - kids photos...

MAN: Everything's
ready to rock'n'roll,

so if she starts to blow
around here, it gets too suss,

we're out of here, mate,
you know?

MAN 2: It's been like this
for a week now,

an underlying threat,
but this is surreal.

As you can feel, the wind
has just changed to southerly.

So the front's passing through
and the fire's over there

and now gonna be heading
straight for

all of these houses,
which is where we live.

Getting pretty frightening
and serious now

and, um, I'm gonna get going.

-[SIREN WAILS]
-Jono, we gotta go!

[SIREN WAILS]

WOMAN: Which way
can we get in?

MAN: Have you got everyone?
Yeah, I'm getting out.

[SIREN WAILS]

-MAN: Wow.
-MAN 2: Man. Fuckin' hell!

WOMAN: Never seen that before.

Crazy.

NEWSREADER:
Residents and tourists

are literally lining up
to get out of towns

that have only one road in
and out.

If northerly winds push flames
south towards Gippsland,

it would be a catastrophe.

MAN: Well, just as we thought
we were getting out of it,

we just found out the Pacific
Highway is now closed north.

REPORTER:
Hundreds of holidaymakers

are tonight stranded
on the South Coast

with emergency crews
having no choice

but to shut
the Princes Highway.

REPORTER 2: 24 hours ago,

tens of thousands of
residents and tourists

were told to leave because the
conditions were getting worse.

The fires are now encroaching
on the major roads.

MAN: Well, we're getting
a lot more people

coming into the evacuation
center all the time

and, uh...it's bloody hot.

WOMAN: It's just
a scary feeling, I think,

just...just everything
that's going on.

There was no fuel.

We've got no phone service
out where we are.

[SIREN WAILS]

WOMAN: No, they're doing
their job.

That's what they're there for.

[WOMAN CONTINUES INDISTINCTLY]

[GRIM MUSIC]

NEWSREADER: Just have a look
at East Gippsland.

This is in
the state of Victoria.

The authorities warning here
it's actually too late now

for people
threatened by bushfires

even to get out of the area.

WOMAN: What is it?

MAN: Just tasting it.
It's a wattle leaf.

Which don't burn that easily.

MAN ON RADIO: We need people
to stay where they are now.

You all have your part
to play

in keeping each other safe.

WOMAN: Wind's blowing
in every direction right now.

OK. Dad!

OK.

OK.

Whoa! Kangaroo!

Do I get the other pump going?

MAN: What?

WOMAN: What can I do?

MAN: You can help me
with this hose.

WOMAN: Yeah.

MAN: Wow.

[FLAMES AND WIND ROAR]

WOMAN: Whoa!

Oh, what the fuck!

Dad!

Oh!

Whoa. Dad!

[FEARFULLY] Oh, Dad!

[GASPS, SIGHS] OK.

Oh, my God.

No, no, no, no, no.

MAN: Turn the pump down.
Turn it down. Yeah.

WOMAN: Yeah, OK.

[WOMAN PANTS]

OK.

I just picked up the phone.

I don't know who it was,
but they were just asking

if we're...if we made it
through it or whatever.

Oh...

MAN:
It's, uh, 30 December 2019.

I'm just now doing
a very quick video diary.

We have a very large,
aggressive bushfire

heading our way.

It has just hit my boundary.
600 meters from the house.

[FLAMES ROAR]

You can hear it.
It sounds like a jet engine.

-Gonna find out if...
-[INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER]

Gonna find out if my house
is bushfire-proof in a minute.

[FLAMES ROAR]

Whoa!

I've just seen a fire tornado.

My main water tank blew up.

I lost my... I lost
my firefighting hose.

The fire's now...

[DEEP RUMBLING]

..turned towards Cobargo.

MAN ON TWO-WAY RADIO:
Yeah, copy that.

It's... We're just moving
into pretty tough country.

I'm not sure how far
we can get with it.

WOMAN ON TWO-WAY RADIO:
72-10-88, Upper Brogo Road.

[FLAMES ROAR]

MAN: Don't know
what else has gone.

We packed everything.

[WOMAN SHOUTS INDISTINCTLY]

[INDISTINCT TWO-WAY
RADIO COMMUNICATION]

MAN ON TWO-WAY RADIO: This is
looking quite dramatic.

We've got houses
alight everywhere

and we really need some more
structural protection.

-[SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY]
-FITZSIMMONS: Yep.

So this is that group
of spotting.

Properties under threat...

[FLAMES AND WIND ROAR]

[INDISTINCT SHOUTING]

MAN: That's the church.

MAN ON RADIO: Strike Team
Jingellic, go ahead.

MAN ON RADIO: Emergency,
emergency, emergency!

Truck down. The truck
has been hit by a tornado.

Flipped on its side.
We've got a crew member down.

[SOLEMN MUSIC]

REPORTER: 28-year-old Sam
is now the third RFS volunteer

to lose his life.

FITZSIMMONS:
Cyclonic-type winds

moved across the fireground

and literally lifted up
a 10- or 12-tonne fire truck

and flipped it into its roof.

He leaves behind, tragically,
a beautiful wife, Megan,

who is pregnant
with their first child

that's due on 4 May.

REPORTER: That's expected
to be another horror day

for firefighters

with conditions
very similar to yesterday,

and most of the east coast
is being urged to prepare.

Yeah, I woke up this morning
and it is, like,

end-of-the-world vibes
outside.

Everyone's leaving.

MAN ON PHONE: Yeah, like,
it's fuckin' hectic.

WOMAN: So, if it's westerly,
what way is the fire going?

Is west towards us?

MAN: Yeah.

MAN 2: Far out, it's hot.

You...you just can't explain
this heat.

Last night, right over
in that direction up there,

there was just an orange glow.

You could just see it.

WOMAN:
Our house is over there,

like, through there,
and that's all state forest.

But it's really scary

when there's forest
for miles and miles around us.

MAN: That's where the fire is.

[EXPLOSIONS BOOM]

You can hear explosions
in the distance.

You just have to stay calm.

I feel a bit shaken up.

The wind is getting
really bad,

and Claye is out here.

He's, um, fixing up the soaker
hose and now the power's out.

I don't know.
I've got no service.

Why does that happen
when the power goes out?

Like, literally,

when you need your phone
the most, it doesn't work.

Getting a little bit
hairy now. We've lost power.

The wind's sort of swirling,

doesn't know which way
it's gonna go.

We've got planes coming over.

'Cause there's no service
with all the smoke density

and I'm looking at the ground.

It's covered in burnt leaves
that are falling from the sky.

What the heck?

Things are getting
really, really eerie.

Look at the smoke
coming across the water!

Have a go at that!

Oh, my God.

Wowee. Look at that.

[OMINOUS MUSIC BUILDS]

Oh, look at it
coming from this way.

Now we're in deep shit.

WOMAN: Not good, guys.
Not good at all.

Look at this dust,
this wind, this smoke.

Guys, I'm scared.
[CHUCKLES NERVOUSLY]

We, uh...we just
chucked the sprinkler on.

The boys...

..I fucking appreciate
all their work, man.

Now I'm just about to
get up on the roof

and fix the sprinkler.

It's blown off.

We'll get a bit of a look
at what's going on.

I don't know what's going on
up there.

I'm gonna fix this
and I'll go and have a look.

[SIREN WAILS]

[RECORDED MESSAGE PLAYS
OVER P.A.]

RECORDING: Leave now
towards the beach

and shelter in place.

[SIREN WAILS]

MAN: We're just coming
to get some supplies.

Have a look at this.

It's all happening
on this part of town too.

Fuck.

FITZSIMMONS: We've just got to
keep in mind

that we've still got
many hours to go yet of today.

The conditions are expected
to get worse,

so we need to be mindful

that more will unfold
over the coming hours.

WOMAN:
We're under ember attack.

Claye just put out
three spot fires

and I'm gonna put
all my shit in the car

because this is really
not looking good.

Neighbors are out of here.
They are leaving.

[SIREN WAILS]

WOMAN: The wind changed
a couple of minutes ago

and this happened.

MAN: It's dark,
it's smoky and red.

WOMAN: It's apocalyptic.
This is the middle of the day.

[SIREN WAILS]

[HORN BLARES]

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]

WOMAN: Next door's on fire.

Oh, my God.

I'm so scared. Oh, my God.
There's a fire down there.

Claye. It's locked.

-[GRIM MUSIC]
-[HELICOPTER WHIRS]

MAN: Now the fire front's
come through.

I've never seen
anything like it.

It's chaos.

This, by far,
is the most hectic thing

I've ever witnessed, man.

Claye. We're going.

Claye's just
getting in his car.

And we're out of here, guys,

'cause this whole place
is on fire.

WOMAN ON P.A.:
All powerlines that are down

are to be treated as live.

I will repeat,
all powerlines that are down

are to be treated as live.

WOMAN:
This is a real nightmare.

I can't believe this is real.

Where's Claye? Come on, Claye.
He's coming.

Wow, that fire is hot.

I can't see anything.
This is literally not real.

This is not real.

[TENSE MUSIC BUILDS]

Oh, my God.
I can't see anything.

I can't see anything.

[MUSIC FADES]

[HELICOPTER WHIRS]

[BLEAK MUSIC]

REPORTER: Sydney under siege
from thick, lingering smoke.

The air quality
classed as hazardous -

almost 30 times safe levels.

MAN: The attitude of people

all over New South Wales
and Australia

to the fires,

it's gone from
a sort of sense of

"Oh, this is a...this is
a bad thing to be enduring,"

to a "What on earth
is going on?"

[TENSE MUSIC BUILDS]

We begin in Australia, where
the new year brings no relief

from the catastrophe
caused by bushfires.

What's happening in Australia
is unprecedented.

[SPEAKS FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

[SPEAKS FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

These look like scenes
from a disaster movie,

but this is the reality
in Australia right now.

People forget the radiant heat
alone can burn your skin.

The terrifying scale

of Australia's
bushfire disaster

is beginning to emerge.

REPORTER: Some communities are
completely boxed in by fire.

All the way from Melbourne

to the northern part
of the country,

that's roughly 1,800 miles.

That doesn't even compare
to California.

You have to head all the way
into British Columbia,

past Vancouver.

When a country is in crisis,

it's a big test
for political leaders.

How they respond
can be the making of them

or the end of them.

How come we only had four
trucks to defend our town?

'Cause our town doesn't have
a lot of money,

but we have hearts of gold,
Mr Prime Minister.

I don't really want to
shake your hand.

MORRISON: Oh, well.
It's nice to see you.

Nice to see you too, mate.

-MORRISON: Take care.
-Right.

[MORRISON MUTTERS
INDISTINCTLY]

Time for a cuppa.

MAN: We might see more?

[MORRISON SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY]

Yeah, I think so.

So many people here
have lost their homes.

We are. It's all coming. It's
all coming. It's all coming.

-We need more help.
-Shh-shh. Shh-shh.

WOMAN: I would have
happily sat down

and had a cup of tea with him

if he just had have asked
am I OK.

"What can we do
to fix this situation?"

And he walked away
as I asked for help.

NEWSREADER: Another two people

have been confirmed
to have been killed.

WOMAN: The last words he said,
"I promise I'll be safe."

It was an hour or two
after that

that I got a phone call.

I said, "What's wrong?"

She said, "I have some
bad news to tell you."

She said, "Patrick and Robert
are gone,"

and I just hung up the phone.

I know I probably
would have been hurt,

but I wanted to help them.

[SOBS]

[FLAMES ROAR]

[EXPLOSIONS BOOM]

[WIND ROARS]

MAN: One emergency warning
is in place

for an out-of-control blaze
burning on Kangaroo Island.

[THUNDER BOOMS]

Residents under threat from
fire are advised to leave

if it is safe to do so.

MAN ON PHONE: We've got
two very large fires there

that are continuing to
threaten lives and property

this evening.

So, it's certainly
gone beyond a...a marathon.

We're now in an ultramarathon
in terms of firefighting

across south-east Australia
this summer.

[FIRE TORNADO ROARS]

[DEEP RUMBLING]

[SOLEMN MUSIC]

MAN: Here it comes again.

REPORTER: You can see the
scale of not just the fires,

but the volume of smoke
that's being generated.

Many of these are so big,

they're even forming
their own weather events,

which can then
generate lightning,

which then, in turn,
sparks more fires.

[EMOTIONAL MUSIC]

REPORTER: This fire is
very much burning uncontrolled

and is posing
a threat to safety tonight.

-MAN: Oh, fuck me.
-MAN 2: Oh, look at that, man.

MAN 2:
It's still gonna go here

'cause
it's massively hot here.

Oh, Jesus.

Oh, come on.

[MEN SPEAK INDISTINCTLY]

MAN 2: Hold the door.
Hold the door.

MAN: Fucking hell.

-MAN: Oh, yeah.
-MAN 2: They're out the back.

MAN 2: Stay away
from the glass, mate.

MAN: Where the fuck
did those boys go?

MAN 2: I don't know, but...
[CONTINUES INDISTINCTLY]

MAN: I'm going
to the bathroom.

[SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY]

MAN 2: No, you don't go into
a room you can't get out of.

You go to... Out the back.

Get back in. Back in. Back in.

Back in!

Fucking hell.

Shut it. Shut it.

[MEN SPEAK INDISTINCTLY]

[EXPLOSION BOOMS]

MAN: Fuck,
there goes the truck.

MAN 2: Gone?

-[DISTURBING MUSIC]
-[FLAMES CRACKLE]

MAN: Yeah, well, we tried.

We saved two utes.

The house is alight.

Thank God.

The boys we're looking for.

MAN ON TWO-WAY RADIO:
Hey, you're a copy, Corey?

[INDISTINCT RADIO
COMMUNICATION]

MAN ON TWO-WAY RADIO:
Are you out of the smoke yet

on the South Coast Road?

[INDISTINCT RADIO
COMMUNICATION]

MAN: We're through.

MAN ON TWO-WAY RADIO:
Thank fuck for that.

WOMAN:
We have heard from police

that two people
have been confirmed dead

in the Kangaroo Island fire.

Police say that that happened
around the Playford Highway,

which is in the center
of Kangaroo Island.

REPORTER: The pair overcome
trying to outrun the flames.

REPORTER 2: They've been
identified as Dick Lang,

an acclaimed pilot,

and his son, Clayton.

NEWSREADER: Scott Morrison

has assured
devastated communities

that government is doing
all it can to help.

MORRISON: I want to reassure
you that this response

is something where we're
seeing the best of Australia,

not the contrary.

Are you from the media?

Tell the Prime Minister to go
and get ---- from Nelligen.

We really enjoy doing
this ----, ---- head.

MAN: Thank you very much.

Tell the PM
to come and meet me.

Paul Parker from Nelligen.

Meet you any day, pal.

[SOLEMN MUSIC]

MAN: There's been no support

or there's only
been photo shoots

and...and token gestures.

MAN: Listen up,
Prime Minister,

we've got ourselves a fight.

It's not right. On earth,
there's wrong and right!

This fire is Australia's war
at the moment.

It's been right down
the Great Dividing Range

and now it's going
right to the coast

and there isn't one ADF
on the ground.

We pay $6 billion

of hard-earned
taxpayers' money for them

every year,

and where are they?

I'm too upset
at the moment, OK?

I'm too upset,
so I've probably said enough.

But, please,
get the word out there.

They've just left us
high and dry so many times.

NEWSREADER: Today,
the Prime Minister announced

Defence Force personnel
are on stand-by

to assist firefighters

and disaster relief is coming.

REPORTER: In Mallacoota,

the navy has started
the evacuation

of thousands of stranded
residents and holidaymakers

from the fire-hit
coastal town.

REPORTER 2:
For the 4,000 still stranded,

the ride out of town
won't be straightforward.

HMAS 'Choules' has
a capacity of 1,000,

so the process will take days.

WOMAN:
It is still very smoky here.

We've made our way down to
the evacuation center.

They reckon it'll be
maybe five days or so

before they've got
power again.

We'll be stuck here for
a little bit longer yet.

Toilets are working,
showers are not.

Of course, there's no fridges
or anything, there's no food.

There is absolutely nothing
in town open at all.

There is no real internet
or phone service.

But, yeah, hopefully
we can get out of here soon.

We're not quite
out of the woods yet.

WOMAN 2: There is absolutely
nothing and we are screwed.

We are literally screwed
in the middle of nowhere.

[EVACUEES CHATTER]

We are all collectively most
appreciative of the patience,

the focus
and the decisions being taken

by people
down the South Coast,

but we've still got

a very volatile and active
fireground situation

right across
a very broad geographic area

of New South Wales.

[HELICOPTER WHIRS]

REPORTER:
Authorities are preparing

for even more devastation

and our crews are getting help

from the other side
of the world.

REPORTER 2: Crews from
New Zealand and Canada

have joined in
to help tackle the bushfires,

and a team from
the United States

is set to arrive on Saturday.

People have that sense that,

you know, they came and
helped us in a time of need,

so we're more than willing
to come and help

in their time of need.

REPORTER: On social media,

celebrities are posting
messages of support

and pledging donations
to local fire services

with a long hot summer ahead.

It breaks my heart
to watch it happening

and it's just so overwhelming

and people putting
their lives on the line.

And it's the sky.

I mean,
it's really the apocalypse

and that affects all of us.

Fight fire with a fiver.

-That's right.
-Which is...

A fiver is,
I've been told, a $5 bill.

If anybody can chip in,
that's great

because it's nice
to show solidarity and help.

You should all be in awe

of the work that
the firefighters are doing.

[APPLAUSE, CHEERING]

I will be pledging $1 million.

[APPLAUSE, CHEERING]

Yeah, I think like all of us,

we're just trying to
do our bit

and I think when we see
the images at the moment,

it's just heartbreaking and
I think it's touched us all.

It shows you, just the people,
how much they care

and how much the generosity
of Australians

and people all over the world.

WOMAN: We know that
one of the guys in particular

that fought for our house
lost his house while doing so,

so that really puts things
into perspective.

WOMAN 2: It's unfortunate
that it's times like these

where we discover
how strong the community is,

but there's no denying it.

It's been fantastic.

WOMAN 3:
The donations we're getting,

they just keep coming in.

People are amazing.
Power to the people.

Someone needed to do something

and the people do something.

I think we're at the point
at this point, like,

it's great to see that so many
people are stepping up

and donating money,

but it's the people
that are in power

that still don't do anything.

[MAN SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY]

Yeah.

[HELICOPTER WHIRS]

[SOLEMN MUSIC]

BRITISH REPORTER:
Finally, a way out.

After five days stranded here,
this is deliverance.

SOLDIER:
And when they're available,

we'll move you
from this location

down to the landing craft,

but it'll be pretty simple.

Once you're aboard,
they'll do a final headcount.

It's about a 10- to 15-minute
transit over there.

REPORTER:
Boatload after boatload

of stranded tourists
and residents

have made the journey
from Mallacoota

to HMAS 'Choules'

in the biggest
naval sea evacuation

in Australia's history.

[SOLEMN MUSIC CONTINUES]

REPORTER:
More help is on the way,

including dozens
of American firefighters.

REPORTER 2: This was
the welcome at the airport.

[APPLAUSE]

[CHEERING]

The current situation is...
it's extreme.

You know, there's a lot of
people that have been at it

since September and October,
through November and stuff,

so people are tired and so
we're here to actually relieve

and try to lend a hand
and give those folks the rest

that they direly need.

[SOLEMN MUSIC]

REPORTER: Prime Minister
Scott Morrison announces

a $2 billion fund to help
rebuild those hard-hit areas.

What we are focusing on here
is the human cost

and, uh...the rebuilding cost
for people's lives.

We are not focused on
the financial cost.

We are focused on
the human cost

and ensuring that
we can do everything we can

as quickly as we can.

[SIREN WAILS IN DISTANCE]

[WIND RUMBLES]

REPORTER: Strong winds have
merged two enormous bushfires

into a megablaze.

And we're hearing now
of this megafire

of the two fires
joining together.

REPORTER: The latest battle
for firefighters

already spread thin
across the state.

[DEEP RUMBLING]

[SIREN WAILS]

[INDISTINCT TWO-WAY RADIO
COMMUNICATION]

MAN: Yeah, copy that.

Uh, it's already upon us.

If you can find somewhere
to turn around, turn around,

otherwise we're gonna have to
keep going.

MAN: Strike Team Leader
from STP48...

[MAN SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY]

MAN 2: Strike Team
Leader Golf, this is STP48.

We have heavy fire activity
on our right

coming down Hames Road

and numerous spot fires
here on our left

coming down the road - over.

[MEN SPEAK INDISTINCTLY]

MAN: STP95, we are retreating.

[CONTINUES INDISTINCTLY]

Retreating back.
[CONTINUES INDISTINCTLY]

MAN: Watch 38.

[INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER]

MAN ON TWO-WAY RADIO: Yeah,
guys, just keep following me.

[EXPLOSION BOOMS]

MAN: Yeah, mate,
there is a really big bad glow

on our left-hand side.

Over.

[MAN SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY]

MAN: Yep,
put the blankets up.

MAN: Blinds up.

[FIRE ROARS]

MAN: Burning my hands
on that side.

MAN ON RADIO: Give us a call
when you're through. Over.

MAN: Flashover! Flashover!

STP48 flashover.

MAN ON RADIO:
Strike Team Leader,

we're gonna pull over.

We've got real big issues.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC]

MAN: We're gonna
get stuck here.

MAN ON TWO-WAY RADIO:
Fire Comms.

Does anyone copy on this
channel? Red, red, red!

Our trucks will not move.
We have been overrun.

Our trucks are
catching alight.

We need immediate assistance.

MAN: I'll give you
my exact coordinates.

MAN 2: We need to
get out of here.

MAN: I'm at latitude 34...

-34.97084...

[FLAMES ROAR]

[MAN SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY]

..to go out on foot as the
main fire front has passed

and our truck is on fire.

MAN: Fire Comms, STP48,
understood.

You may use BA
to get out of the vehicle.

We'll endeavor
to get assistance

as soon as possible.

[MAN SHOUTS INDISTINCTLY]

[OXYGEN HISSES]

-[FLAMES ROAR]
-[EXPLOSIONS BOOM]

The plume of smoke
generated by the inferno

covers 5.5 million
square kilometers.

That's the size
of Europe.

That thick black cloud is now
drifting towards New Zealand.

MAN: People are starting
to realize

the enormity of
this bushfire emergency.

MAN 2: Well,
this is pretty weird.

It's, like, 3:45

in the middle of summertime
in New Zealand

and that weird color
is all the smoke

coming across from Australia.

[STIRRING MUSIC]

WOMAN:
This is impacting on us,

this is impacting on
our communities here.

Rain forests
going up in flames,

places that have
never, ever burnt before,

it's never been something
in the realms of possibility.

REPORTER: Change has brought
a welcome reprieve

for our firefighters today.

The rain, and the sky
has just opened up

and it's starting to pour down
and it's absolutely wonderful.

WOMAN: My son is 18 months old

and hasn't experienced rain...

..ever.

[RAIN PATTERS]

MAN: Just had gray stuff,
gray muck and raindrops,

falling out of the sky.

MAN: You've got to make sure

you don't catch any water
after this

because, you know, houses
burning down and all that,

the pollution in the sky
will land on

and it'll wreck
your drinking water.

You know,
even asbestos and that.

REPORTER:
What's the water look like?

I mean,
what's it like to drink?

WOMAN ON PHONE: Oh, you don't.

MAN: This is just
a small reprieve,

but, realistically, we need
some really big rain events

over a prolonged period
of time

to change the situation here.

[DOG BARKS]

[SHEEP BLEAT]

REPORTER: With more than
12 million acres scorched,

massive fires
already among the worst

in Australia's history,

officials are warning the next
few days will be even worse.

[SIREN WAILS]

MAN: It's spotting
ahead of itself,

so you guys
have got to be ready.

It might not look that
the main front is there

'cause it's spotting
ahead of itself.

-[DOGS BARK FRANTICALLY]
-If you see anything, get out.

FITZSIMMONS: It's going to be
a very dangerous day,

it's going to be
a very difficult day,

which is why we're ensuring

the highest available
arrangements

for the state of
New South Wales.

We've still got
just over 2,200 personnel

across the firegrounds

and more than 100 aircraft
available and deployed.

AMERICAN MAN ON RADIO:
Yeah, copy that.

Bring in the fire bombers.

What's the call sign
of the first bomber?

WOMAN ON RADIO: This is
Fire Bomber 254. Over.

AMERICAN MAN ON RADIO:
Copy that, Fire Bomber 254.

[CONTINUES INDISTINCTLY]

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]

MAN: Yeah, that's as close
as you guys want to get, hey,

to one of these guys.

MAN 2: We've at least
got to shake Gladys's hand

when he lands in this thing.

-[EXPLOSION BOOMS]
-[WOMAN SHRIEKS]

MAN: God!

----.

NEWSREADER:
We're learning more tonight

about the three American
firefighters killed

when their air tanker
came down yesterday

in the Snowy Mountains.

MAN: On behalf of the families
of Captain Ian MacBeth,

First Officer Paul Hudson

and Flight Engineer
Rick DeMorgan,

I would like to say
thank you all

for your support and kindness
during this very tragic time.

MAN 2: It's hard
when we lose one of our own

and, so, it's been an evening
of mourning amongst our folks

that are still on the ground.

MAN: That when we learned
of the accident,

we took a decision to ground
our crews of the aircraft

in New South Wales
and Victoria state.

REPORTER: The fires
have claimed the lives

of more than 30 people.

Tens of millions of acres
of land have burned

so far this season.

We're...we're hanging out
for significant rain.

We could be talking
several weeks or months.

And with the flames
still fierce

in the hills
to the north-east of here,

this emergency
is far from over.

MAN:
I'll just move my car down.

[SOLEMN MUSIC]

MAN: Where is he going?
Don't go in there, fella.

WOMAN: He'll need rescuing,
won't he?

MAN: Just move back.

He's probably scared of us.

[WOMAN SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY]

MAN: He's just...

-WOMAN: Oh, no, he's on fire.
-MAN: Oh, shit.

WOMAN: Can you move back?

[KOALA CRIES]

MAN: Just careful
of his claws.

[KOALA CRIES]

[KOALA CRIES]

[KOALA CRIES]

Could you ring the koala
hospital? Can you do that?

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And say that
they're bringing one in.

-Yep, I'll do that.
-What's your name?

-Toni.
-Toni.

It's Toni Doherty.

-They know me there.
-Look at you. OK.

MAN: Is it gonna be alright
on your lap?

Yes, I've got him well.

OK.

-OK, I'll ring them now.
-Thanks a lot.

-Yeah, good luck.
-Thank you.

[SOLEMN MUSIC]

REPORTER: Now, Australia's
bushfires have burned through

at least 24 million hectares
over the last six months.

REPORTER 2: Just to give you
the scope of this,

if you put that superimposed

on the United States,

that would be like
fires burning

from California
to Pennsylvania,

Wisconsin to Florida.

NEWSREADER:
The World Wildlife Foundation

is saying up to a billion
animals may have been killed.

A billion animals.
It is heartbreaking, isn't it?

NEWSREADER 2: Terrifying.
It really brings it home.

REPORTER:
As many as 100 species

of plants and animals

are now facing
imminent extinction.

U.S. REPORTER: It's hard
to think of another event

anywhere in the world
in living memory

that has killed or displaced
that many animals.

The findings are shocking.

The scale of the loss
is as appalling

as it is heartbreaking.

MAN: This is just...
It's disturbing.

It is really,
really disturbing.

The fence line's
just littered with animals

that have tried to get out.

It's just terrible. Like,
where could they have gone?

[MELANCHOLY MUSIC]

MAN: That was an ecolodge.

A whole fucking restaurant
and laundry.

A whole courtyard,
every vehicle.

There's nothing left.

NEWSREADER: A new helpline
has been launched

for those affected
by the crisis,

but the community
remains desperate for answers

on when and how
they can rebuild.

MAN: You hear so much about,

"Oh, the government's
doing this,"

and you say, "Well,
I never heard about that,"

and whatever,

and there is no-one
you can go to.

You have to try and weasel out
all this information

from all these
different sources.

MAN 2: We looked around.
Hit...hit direct.

PHILLIPS: People in
my electorate need help

trying to work out

where that $2 billion
Bushfire Recovery Fund is.

WOMAN: Government officials
are paid to do this work.

I can't say any more.
I get so down.

It's hard to live with.

Very hard.

PHILLIPS: So many people here
are so traumatized,

when they go in
to try and seek help

and they get
a bureaucratic system,

it's nearly enough
to tip people over the edge.

REPORTER: The community here
and the surrounds

feel like
they've been forgotten

in this bushfire crisis.

WATT: So, the Prime Minister's
announcement on 6 January,

when he was under
a lot of pressure,

was that he had established

a National Bushfire
Recovery Fund

and I just want to see
where it is.

There is no fund, is there?

Like, it's not anywhere
in the Budget statements.

MAN: They said the $2 billion
fund is a notional fund.

People are just left
to languish.

WOMAN: If it wasn't for
the charities,

we would be
in a well of despair.

Lives and homes are under
threat from six huge bushfires

burning out of control right
now near the nation's capital

where fires
have already destroyed

15% of the ACT.

The ACT is now facing
the worst bushfire threat

since the devastating fires
of 2003.

I have just made the decision

to declare a territory-wide
state of emergency

for the Australian capital.

There is now
no higher priority

for the entire ACT Government
at this time

than this bushfire threat.

[GRIM MUSIC]

Well, you can see behind me
the plume in the mountains,

probably about
10 kilometers away.

But we've been warned that
the spotting of the fire

has been up to 5 kilometers
ahead of that fire,

and so they are warning
that that could be

impacting this area
in the next few hours.

REPORTER: The ACT is home

to the nation's headquarters.

This is where
the government operates.

Australia's politicians

must surely be feeling
the threat now.

MORRISON: I understand
there are things

that I could have handled
on the ground much better.

But where events were
late last week,

they weren't
where they are today.

We are still in
the devastating

Black Summer bushfires.

I think it will be necessary
for us to move forward

with a national
royal commission.

[MORRISON SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY]

NEWSREADER: The Prime Minister
is now considering

a royal commission into

how Australia
prepares and responds

to the bushfire seasons.

NEWSREADER: But critics say
Australia's already had

57 bushfire inquiries,

including the 18-month,
$40 million

Black Saturday
Bushfire Royal Commission

in Victoria in 2009.

The question, I think, is
how much action

has actually followed
these inquiries?

REPORTER: What do you think
Scott Morrison

should do at this stage, then?

The Prime Minister?

---- off out of this country

because he don't deserve to
live in this country anymore

because he's a ----.

Everyone in Australia's been
let down by them ----.

And that's all they are, ----.

They're only lining
their own pockets.

They don't care about us.

So, everyone, let's talk about
the issues.

Let's talk about what's
happened in the aftermath.

Let's get help for
people that need it.

We were in the house.

Burning around us.

W-we were in panic mode.
We were all over the place.

We waited for the roof
to collapse in on us.

And then we opened the door
and we flew out here.

Everything's just flames
and ash and wind.

I stayed and fought, yeah,

but I'd say to anybody -
don't stay, just go.

The most...
No, don't stay, just go.

Just get out and go.

When something like that
stares you in the face,

it's very frightening.

[BREATHES SHAKILY]

MAN: We do know that in the
most affected communities,

people, and I include here
the firefighters,

develop PTSD and depression.

MAN: And you know
how it gets ya?

I burst into tears at
a moment's notice, you know?

Like, a grown man,
I burst into tears.

MAN: This is unexpected.

One day you're living your
life, things are going along,

and the next day,

a life-threatening event
happens

where you think
you're going to die.

And they survive,
thank goodness they survive,

but that has changed them,
it's changed them inside.

And you need to be able
to process that.

It's not something
you just go,

"Yeah, yeah, I'm moving on,
I'm back on my feet again."

The challenge
that people have is

how do you get on with life
once that's happened to you?

MAN: If you're in
a situation like we are,

and you are not...your mental
health is not all that great,

you just give up.

-WOMAN: Yes.
-MAN: You just give up.

WOMAN: Yeah.

It's just a waiting game.

But we'll get there.
Just a minute.

WOMAN: What are you
waiting for?

[EMOTIONALLY] For it to stop.

REPORTER: The U.S.
and Canadian firefighters say

they came to Australia
for a sprint.

They are now leaving it to
their Australian colleagues

to complete a marathon

for the rest of
the bushfire fighting season.

The fact that you've been
able to put your hand up,

come over here
and commit to us

during some of
the most difficult

and unprecedented
firefighting conditions

speaks volumes of your
commitment and dedication.

[SOLEMN MUSIC]

[OVERLAPPING
RADIO COMMUNICATIONS]

MAN: Yeah, go, Carol.

-[TWO-WAY RADIO BEEPS]
-Yeah, go ahead.

There's spots all along
in front of me at the moment.

-MAN: You know what I mean?
-MAN 2: Yeah.

-We can turn on that ridgeway?
-WOMAN: Yep.

You've got a second one
heading northwards. Over.

So they're both increasing
activity, though?

Yeah, yeah, everything's
starting to go off.

OK.

[SIREN WAILS]

MAN: No firefighting
organization of any country

would have a hope

in controlling the fire
at this stage.

You guys get above it up here.

Can you work down that way?

[HELICOPTER WHIRS]

I just found out
one of our dogs

was found on our bed
burnt to death.

[WEEPS]

[DEEP RUMBLING]

[SOLEMN MUSIC]

MAN: 421! In the backyard!
In the backyard!

That's gotta be the scariest
thing I have ever seen.

-[FIRE ALARM BEEPS]
-[SIGHS]

[WHISPERS]
It's been fucking scary.

-MAN: Get another hose!
-MAN 2: Fire Comms 1803.

[EXPLOSIONS BOOM]

[SOLEMN MUSIC]

[SIREN WAILS]

We could see flames
coming out every corner...

[WEEPS, SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY]

MAN: I've got urgent messages
for water.

It's ridiculous.
We're now getting hammered.

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]

[GRIM MUSIC]

[MAN SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY]

-Doesn't stop, does it?
-No, it doesn't.

Just... Can't talk now.

[DARK MUSIC]

[HELICOPTER WHIRS]

[WIND BLOWS]

[DEEP RUMBLING]

[HELICOPTER WHIRS]

[HELICOPTER FADES]

[GRIM MUSIC BUILDS]

[SWING SQUEAKS]

[RAIN PATTERS]

-MAN: Oh, my gosh!
-[RAIN POURS]

[GENTLE MUSIC]

[HOPEFUL MUSIC]

Wa-hey! Rain!

REPORTER: Just listen to it!

How wonderful

is the sound of rain?

[BOTH CHEER]

REPORTER: It's just such a
wonderful relief this morning.

We're gonna get pretty decent
falls over the next 48 hours

here at Mogo on the
New South Wales South Coast.

Ah! Alright!

REPORTER: Relief in the form
of heavy rain

arrived in Geelong
at 3 o'clock this afternoon.

From near Gundagai to Dubbo...

I'm pleased to say that we're
down to four going fires,

which is one less than we had
at this time yesterday.

WOMAN: It's raining.
It's raining!

REPORTER: Across the state's
enormous fireground,

it is sweet relief.

[INSPIRING MUSIC]

MAN: Check this out!

[MAN WHISTLES] Yee-ha!

[CHEERING]

REPORTER: Cooler temperatures
and even some rain

are helping
the firefighters here

get an upper hand
on some of these fires.

CHILD: Isn't he cute?

I've never been this close
to a koala.

WOMAN: What you doing?
[CONTINUES INDISTINCTLY]

After more than 40 days,

the Orroral Valley fire
is officially out.

[ALL SPEAK INDISTINCTLY]

Yep, yeah, we've been
blown away.

FITZSIMMONS: Currowan fire
now, after 70-odd days,

in the last 24 hours
has been declared out.

[INSPIRING MUSIC CONTINUES]

For the first time
in 210 days,

we have all of our fires
contained.

WOMAN: Yesterday,
our Firebird 100 conducted

an aerial surveillance
of the fireground,

found no active fire

and smoke has not been sighted
on the fireground

for more than 72 hours.

Volunteers can resume
their full-time jobs

and go back to earning
a steady income.

Daddy!

[LAUGHS] Your old man!

Ohh! [LAUGHS]

[SOLEMN MUSIC]

[KOALA GROWLS]

[SOLEMN MUSIC]

Well, it's very different
from my normal job,

but it's pretty cool,
I have to say.

WOMAN: But at the end
of the day, it was 24/7

grunt and grit
and determination

and blood, sweat
and many tears.

The volunteer RFS,
they saved our town.

It's the everyday people
that make the difference.

MAN: We see what's been lost

but we've gotta
keep remembering

what's been protected.

The number of people
that have been saved.

WOMAN: You just look at
all the things you've got

and look at them differently.

Made me more aware of
what's important.

MAN: You're in it to help your
neighbors in these times.

WOMAN: We're all connected,

but the polite veneer
covers that.

And when that polite veneer
is shifted,

because you're all
experiencing this together,

you can see the connectedness

in a way that
you don't normally.

[PENSIVE MUSIC]

[BIRDS TRILL]

[SOLEMN STRING MUSIC]