Australia Mourns Over Two Bushfire Crisis Heroes

(Photo : Victim's Facebook Accounts)
Geoff Keaton (left) and Andrew O’Dwyer (right) were best buds and the father of two children who were born four days apart.

Two firefighters on duty on Australian bushfire crisis died from a fatal vehicular accident, leaving their spouses devastated.

According to the press release of NSW Rural Fire Service, the accident happened near Buxton, in south western Sydney on Thursday night. The victims -- identified as Geoff Keaton, 32, and Andrew O'Dwyer, 36 -- along with three other injured firefighters were travelling on a truck when a tree crashed on it, killing them almost instantly.

Melissa, Andrew's wife, said that she still could not believe that the two have died.

Jess Hayes, Geoff's fiancee, said that her partner is a "super proud dad" who willfully sacrificed to help his family and friends, and she wants him to be remembered as a hero.

The victims' respective children were born four days apart, and Melissa said that those firefighting crew who loved his late husband and his "best mate", became the aunties and uncles who will tell the children about their father's heroic deeds.

The press release of NSW RFS called the death of the two as a "devastating event" for an already difficult crisis.

Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said that the two could probably survive if they missed the tree by a couple of seconds. He also said that both of the men are "very well-respected" and they do not ever think about the danger of their work because they love helping so much.

Flowers and cards from grieving colleagues flooded the Horsley Park fire station. The flags were also flown at half-mast all over NSW on Friday, as ordered by NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian ordered.

Berejiklian also expressed her condolences to these "lost two heroes" through her Twitter account.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who was previously criticized for taking a Christmas vacation holiday amidst the fire crisis, announced that he would cut his vacation short. He also expressed his guilt for his absence, as the fire has caused anxiety on the people he governs.

The Australian bushfire crisis has been going on since late October. As of Friday, there were still at least 100 fires scattered all over the affected states.

There are 100 fires burning across the state, with half to be contained. Dangerous fire conditions forecast for Saturday - now is time to prepare. Schools are finishing up this week so review & check your travel plans along your route, & at your destination. #nswrfs #nswfires pic.twitter.com/0UAJR6mrul — NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) December 20, 2019

Burnt to Ashes

Almost nothing was left on the two country towns in NSW after the bushfire incinerate, said Berejiklian.

The small town of Balmoral, home of less than 300 people, had witnessed fires that went as high as 40 meters. Meanwhile, almost half of the houses in Dargan, located north of the Blue Mountains, were burned to the ground.

Berejiklian also announced that the devastated towns will receive emergency financial assistance.

Following the death of the volunteers, some Australians expressed their anger on the government's "criminal negligence and gross incompetence".

A certain Kerry Glover said that rather than exhausting the volunteers and arresting climate change activists, the military personnel, who are "trained and [are] full of muscles and grunt", should be assisting on crisis because they were paid with their taxes.

So instead of using your police force to arrest a sitting MP and "moving on" a young girl for protesting outside an empty and public property, these guys could have been relieving exhausted volunteers. pic.twitter.com/4C1U4W3o6t — Kerry Glover (@TheRealKerryG) December 19, 2019