Grim New Year’s Day in Australia as bush fires continue to rage
- The fires have destroyed at least 200 properties, and at least 17 people have died since October
- Prime Minister Scott Morrison has dismissed mounting calls to take stronger action to combat climate change
Rob Leonhardy is among those picking up the pieces after his rural dwelling in regional Victoria on Tuesday succumbed to fires that have wreaked havoc across huge swathes of the southern state and neighbouring New South Wales.
“I’ve had a lot of memories here but the main thing for me is that none of my friends were killed or injured,” said Leonhardy, who had been living at the property near the rural community of Sarsfield for the past nine years.
“There was really no trying to save that place. [The fire] came in with a roar and everything is now pretty much burnt out.”
Leonhardy, who moved to Australia from the United States 15 years ago, said he remained optimistic despite the loss of his home.
“You’ve got to live on. I got a job, I got to work, I got to raise a kid,” said Leonhardy, whose 13-year-son and the mother of his child were caught up in bush fires some 200km away in the small coastal community of Mallacoota, where multiple properties were destroyed.
“It’s just a place to live. But I’m still in the community. It’s a house. It’s a place where you go home and find your little centre of the universe, like a snail. Some people find it in their camper, driving down the road.”