The deaths of a father and son trying to defend their home on the NSW south coast takes the national bushfire toll to 13.

December 31, 2019

With Robyn Wuth

A father and son have died and another five people are still missing as catastrophic bushfires rage across the country, spreading “faster and further” than authorities believed possible. 

Their deaths take the national bushfire toll to 13 on what has been labelled a “truly awful day” for firefighters and the community. 

Police have confirmed the pair, aged 63 and 29, died trying to defend their home as an out-of-control blaze swept through Cobargo, on the NSW south coast.

An elderly man, 72, in nearby Belowra, who stayed to defend his home and four people in Victoria remain unaccounted for.

The deaths come after volunteer firefighter Samuel McPaul, 28, was killed when his truck flipped amid a “fire tornado” at Jingellic, about 110km east of Albury in NSW, on Monday night. 

Hundreds of fires are burning across the country with about 100 in NSW  – 60 uncontained.

NSW fire commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons has warned property damage will be heavy with dozens of buildings being damaged or destroyed.

“We need to brace our ourselves for a considerable number of properties, a considerable number of homes that are likely to have been damaged or destroyed,” he said.

“These fires have spread faster and further than the modelling and the fire weather predictions suggested they would. 

“It’s been a truly awful day.”

Conditions will continue to challenge firefighters into the night as southerly winds rip up the east coast of Victoria and NSW.

“It will be cooler but they’re strong and gusty south to southwesterly winds that will lead to a change in the direction the fires are moving,” meteorologist Dean Narramore told AAP.

“It’ll expand the fire area, so you’re going to have new challenges, new problems and new areas impacted.”

“Today is really bad day (and) those southerly winds are going to cause tricky fire conditions,” he said.

Authorities have confirmed at least 43 structures have been lost in Victoria with the worst yet to come as “dynamic and dangerous” fires continue to sweep through communities.

More than 20 fires are burning across the Garden State with eight at emergency levels, said Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp.

“To demonstrate how dynamic it still is, there’s been a band of lightning come through the state in recent times … we’ve got about 12-15 new fires that have started,” he said. 

The fire danger has eased for up to 4000 people who fled their homes and headed to the beach in the coastal community of Mallacoota but they are still not allowed to return home.

“Unfortunately, that is just not possible … there is no quick in-out – we’re not talking hours, we’re potentially talking days,” Mr Crisp said.

He warned the danger was ” not over yet” with a large fire straddling the northeast Victoria-NSW border at Corryong/Walwa.

Warning levels for a string of bushfires burning on the South Australian mainland have all been reduced but concerns remain for two blazes still uncontrolled on Kangaroo Island.

In southern Western Australia, a large bushfire continues to rage in the Stirling Range National Park with a watch and act warning in place for local residents.

More than 40 fires continue to burn across the state, with several near Esperance, on the southern coast, also of concern.