This archive report was first published on 4 January 2020.
Published on January 4, 2020, as Australia's wildfire season worsened, hundreds of people who had spent days trapped by fires along a beach in the town of Mallacoota reached safety more than 300 miles away.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that 3,000 reservists from the Australian military would be called in to help combat the fires, which had already destroyed over 1,300 homes and claimed 20 lives.
As the situation continued to deteriorate, officials in the state of New South Wales warned that they expected to lose more houses over the weekend due to high winds and temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Among those who had managed to escape the fires was 16-year-old Darcy Brown, who had been trapped in Mallacoota with her family. After a 20-hour journey on a naval ship, Ms. Brown and about 60 others arrived safely in Somerville, where they were met with relief and gratitude.
However, not everyone was willing to leave their homes, with some residents choosing to stay behind despite the risks. Rob Rogers, deputy commissioner for the Rural Fire Service, had issued a grim warning on Friday, stating that those who chose to stay should not expect help.
David Rowland, a resident of Batemans Bay, was among those who had decided to stay behind. He had already felt the heat of the fires once, as he secured a storage shed filled with personal belongings on New Year's Eve.
