World US sends additional support to Australia to help battle apocalyptic wildfires

Ember and thick smoke from bushfires reach Braemar Bay in New South Wales on Jan. 4. Up to 3,000 military reservists were called up to tackle Australia's relentless bushfire crisis as tens of thousands of residents fled their homes amid catastrophic conditions.

Thick smoke hangs over the town on Jan. 4 in Orbost. Two people are dead and 28 remain missing following bushfires across the East Gippsland area, with Victorian premier Daniel Andrews declaring a state of disaster in the region. Thousands of people remain stranded in the coastal town of Mallacoota and are being evacuated by navy ships to Melbourne. 

Evacuees from Mallacoota arrive aboard the HMAS Choules on Jan. 4 at the port of Hastings. The Australian Navy deployed rescue ships to help evacuate thousands of people stranded in the remote Victorian coastal town following fires across East Gippsland. 

Evacuees from Mallacoota arrive aboard the navy ship MV Sycamore on Jan. 4 at the port of Hastings. 

Bec Winter stands next to her son, Riley, and her horse Charmer, who she rode to safety through bushfires on New Year's Eve, in Moruya, on Jan. 4. 

Bushfire smoke shrouds the skyline of Sydney, on Jan. 4. Australia braced for one of the worst days in its wildfire crisis, with strong winds and high temperatures forecast to bring flames to more populated areas, including the suburbs of Sydney. 

Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison visits a wildflower farm in an area devastated by bushfires in Sarsfield, Victoria, on Jan. 3.

Evacuees from Mallacoota, Victoria, are transported in MV Sycamore on Jan. 3.

Thousands flee Australia’s coastal towns as raging wildfires close in

A navy ship prepared to evacuate tourists and residents from one remote area, as authorities warned of potentially catastrophic conditions this weekend.Children play at the showgrounds in the southern New South Wales town of Bega where they are camping out after being evacuated from nearby sites affected by the fire, on Dec. 31.

MORE: US sends additional support to Australia to help battle apocalyptic wildfires . The government has committed an additional 2 billion Australian dollars towards the recovery effort, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced Monday.

That’s because Australia helps us . We need to team up sometimes to help each other out. As an Australian - THANK YOU CANADA <3 It's terrifying and so destructive, and our own government is actively ingoring the wildfires because to acknowledge them would be giving some credit to global

Able Seaman Maritime Logistics Personnel, Jayden Mansfield, cross checks names of evacuees from Mallacoota board HMAS Choules in Victoria, on Jan. 3.

People stranded in Mallacoota, Victoria are evacuated by army personnel to the HMAS Choules on Jan. 3.

Commissioner of Emergency Services in Victoria, Andrew Crisp, speaks to the media on Jan. 3, in Melbourne.

Stay or Run? Dilemma for Those in Australia's 5,000-Square-Mile Wildfire 'Leave Zone'

For the 30 family and friends sheltering inside Anton’s beachside cafe, among them a 2-year-old girl and a pregnant woman, it came down to a show of hands. The vote was unanimous: stay put rather than flee amid the threat of catastrophic wildfires. Bags with masks, fresh drinking water and food were hastily put together and placed by the cafe door in case an encroaching fire forced everyone to dash for the beach some 50 meters (164 feet) away. A defibrillator was kept close to hand. Then came instructions on what to wear: head-to-foot clothing to prevent white-hot embers burning anyone forced to take refuge in the ocean.

The celebrities pledging to support Australia as it battles wildfires . Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban. Australian actor and Stranger Things star Dacre Montgomery made an emotional video pleading for people to help in any way they could.

MORE: US sends additional support to Australia to help battle apocalyptic wildfires . For the first time in Australia 's history, 3,000 army, navy and air force reservists have been called up and will be thrown into the battle against the fires , Morrison said.

A contingent of 39 firefighters from the United states and Canada arrive at Melbourne Airport on Jan. 2.

DELWP (The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning) and CFA (Country Fire Authority) Crews monitor fires and begin back burns between the towns of Orbost and Lakes Entrance in east Gipplsland on Jan. 2. 

Thank you cards are seen at Rural Fire Service headquarters on Jan. 2, in Sydney. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has declared a state of emergency for the next seven days ahead of worsening fire conditions across the state this weekend, as the RFS urges people to evacuate the South Coast of NSW following the most recent fires.

Boats are pulled ashore as smoke and wildfires rage behind Lake Conjola, on Jan. 2. 

People from the town of Cann River are evacuated to Orbost in eastern Gippsland on Jan. 2.

A helicopter drops water on a bushfire outside of Batemans Bay in New South Wales on Jan. 2.

A pedestrian wears a mask as smoke shrouds the Australian capital of Canberra, on Jan. 2.

Cattle are seen under smoke-filled skies in eastern Gippsland on Jan. 2.

A swimming pool in the remains of a house destroyed by bushfires is seen just outside Batemans Bay on Jan. 2.

A general view of the Control Centre at NSW Rural Fire Service headquarters, on Jan. 2, in Sydney.

Roadblocks are seen in place outside the town of Orbost on Jan. 2.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison (right) and Minister for Water Resources, Drought, Rural Finance, Natural Disaster and Emergency Management, David Littleproud speak during a press conference on Jan. 2 in Sydney. Bushfires across New South Wales and Victoria have killed at least 10 people since Christmas day following devastating fires in the NSW South Coast and East Gippsland in Victoria. The Prime Minister attended the funeral for NSW volunteer firefighter Geoffrey Keaton who was killed along with his colleague Andrew O'Dwyer on Dec. 19, 2019 when a tree fell into the path of their tanker, causing it to roll, as they were travelling in a convoy near the town of Buxton.

A military helicopter lands at the RAAF Base in East Sale, Victoria, on Jan. 2. Australia's Federal Government is deploying military assets to aid the ongoing bushfire crisis in the state of Victoria. 

Tourists walk with a dog through dense smoke from bushfires in front of the Batemans Bay bridge as cars line up to leave the town in New South Wales to head north on Jan. 2. A major operation to move people stranded in fire-ravaged seaside towns was under way in Australia on Jan. 2 after deadly bushfires ripped through popular tourist spots and rural areas leaving at least eight people dead. 

Business owners stand in front of their shop which was destroyed by a bushfire in Cobargo, New South Wales, on Jan. 1. 

Property damaged by the East Gippsland fires in Sarsfield, Victoria, on Jan. 1.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews flies in helicopter over the East Gippsland fires in Victoria, on Jan. 1. More than half a million hectares have been burnt in Victoria's destructive East Gippsland fires.

In this photo provided by the Australian Department of Defense, HMAS Choules departs from a fleet base in Sydney, on Jan. 1. Australia is deploying military ships to help communities ravaged by wildfires that destroyed homes and sent thousands of residents and holidaymakers fleeing to the shoreline. 

Kangaroos graze in a field as smoke shrouds the Australian capital of Canberra, on Jan. 1. 

The Australian flag flies above Parliament House as smoke shrouds the Australian capital of Canberra, on Jan. 1. 

A house and vehicle gutted by bushfires are seen in the town of Lake Conjola in New South Wales on Jan. 1. 

A firefighter sprays foam retardant on a back burn ahead of a fire front in the New South Wales town of Jerrawangala on Jan. 1. 

A crowd of people at the beach evacuate from the bushfires at Batemans Bay on Dec. 31. 

A satellite image of the Batemans Bay shows smoke and fire from wild bushfires on Dec. 31. 

Children play at the showgrounds in the southern New South Wales town of Bega where they are camping out after being evacuated from nearby sites affected by the fire, on Dec. 31.

Morrison defends response as weather brings respite in fires

 Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison defended his leadership and his government's record on climate change Sunday as milder temperatures brought hope of a respite from wildfires that have ravaged three states, claiming 24 lives and destroying almost 2,000 homes .Morrison has faced widespread criticism for taking a family vacation in Hawaii at the start of the wildfire crisis, his sometimes distracted approach as it has escalated and his slowness in deploying resources.

Contact Us . Copyright © 2020 ABC News Internet Ventures. All rights reserved. Pink, Nicole Kidman and more say they will give money to help battle the blazes that are spreading across Australia . ABC News chief meteorologist Ginger Zee, who traveled to Australia to report on the wildfires , said

Australia is facing one of the worst bush fire seasons in recent memory and there are a couple of months of summer still to come. TORONTO – The Ontario government says it’s sending nine more firefighters this week to help battle bush fires ravaging parts of Australia .

Molten metal runs from a burnt-out vehicle at a destroyed property in Sarsfield, East Gippsland, Victoria, on Dec. 31.

The remains of burnt-out buildings are seen along the main street in New South Wales town of Cobargo on Dec. 31.

A fire truck moves up the main street of New South Wales town of Bombala which is shrouded in smoke from nearby bushfires on Dec. 31.

View of bushfire damage in Sarsfield, East Gippsland, Victoria, on Dec. 31.

In this  Dec. 30 photo provided by State Government of Victoria, a helicopter tackles a wildfire in East Gippsland, Victoria state. 

In this image dated Dec. 30 and provided by NSW Rural Fire Service via their Twitter account, firefighters are seen trying to protect homes around Charmhaven, New South Wales.

Australia fires: Blood-red skies over NSW after 'one of worst days ever'

Skies turned blood red above parts of southeast Australia on Sunday as residents sought refuge from deadly bushfires, and a senior firefighter described the previous 24 hours as "one of our worst days ever."Commissioner of Emergency Services in Victoria, Andrew Crisp, speaks to the media on Jan. 3, in Melbourne.

Residents watch the developing conditions near the town of Sussex Inlet on Dec. 31, in Sydney. 

This timed-exposure image shows firefighters hosing down trees as they battle against bushfires around the town of Nowra in New South Wales on Dec. 31. Thousands of holidaymakers and locals were forced to flee to beaches in fire-ravaged southeast Australia on Dec. 31, as blazes ripped through popular tourist areas leaving no escape by land.

A firefighter speaks to a resident trying to hose down her home in the hope of saving it from nearby bushfires around the town of Nowra in New South Wales on Dec. 31.

A New South Wales Police officer prepares to flee his roadblock on the Princes Highway near the town of Sussex Inlet on Dec. 31, in Sydney. 

Firefighters conduct property protection near the town of Sussex Inlet on Dec. 31, in Sydney.

An aerial view of a bushfire in Ellerslie, New South Wales, on Dec. 30, in this still image obtained from social media video.

Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Services (WIRES) volunteer and carer Tracy Burgess holds a severely burnt brushtail possum rescued from fires near Australia’s Blue Mountains, Dec. 29.

Firefighters tackle a bushfire in thick smoke in the town of Moruya, south of Batemans Bay, in New South Wales, Australia, on Jan. 4, 2020.

Remains of a burnt-out property that was impacted by a blaze in late December 2019 is seen at Bruthen South, Victoria, Australia, Jan. 4, 2019.

A kangaroo jumps in a field amidst smoke from a bushfire in Snowy Valley on the outskirts of Cooma, Austalia, Jan. 4, 2020.

Thick plumes of smoke rise from bushfires at the coast of East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia, Jan. 4, 2020.

Thick plumes of smoke rise from bushfires at the coast of East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia, Jan. 4, 2020.