Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison has defended his leadership and his government's record on climate change as milder temperatures brought hope of a respite from wildfires that have ravaged three Australian states, claiming 24 lives
Wildfires rage out of control in Australia, prompting evacuations and rescues
He was heckled last week when he visited a township in New South Wales in which houses had been destroyed and which was home to one of three volunteer firefighters who have died in the crisis so far.n history, 3,000 army, navy and air force reservists will be thrown into the battle against the fires. He also committed $14 million to leasing fire-fighting aircraft from overseas.
Morrison has been chided for past remarks that appear to minimize the link between climate change and Australia's escalating threats of drought and wildfires. Cooler temperatures and lighter winds on Sunday brought some relief to threatened communities, a day after thousands were forced to flee as flames reached the suburban fringes of Sydney.
Earlier Saturday, a father and son who were battling flames for two days died on a highway on Kangaroo Island, off South Australia state. Authorities identified them as Dick Lang, a 78-year-old acclaimed bush pilot and outback safari operator, and his 43-year-old son, Clayton. Their family said their losses left them “heartbroken and reeling from this double tragedy.”The deadly wildfires, which have been raging since September, have already burned about 5 million hectares of land.
"It is fair to say it was disappointing and some surprise to hear about these things through public announcements in the middle of what was one of our worst days this season with the second-highest number of concurrent emergency warning fires ever in the history of New South Wales," he said.
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