SYDNEY (REUTERS)Australian firefighters used cool weather on Tuesday (Jan 7) to try to strengthen containment lines around nearly 200 wildfires burning in the country's south-east, as Prime Minister Scott Morrison prepared to meet with insurance and bank executives to discuss the crisis.
Fires have razed more than 8 million ha of land across Australia, an area nearly the size of Austria, killing at least 25 people and destroying or damaging thousands of homes.
The Insurance Council of Australia increased its estimate for damages claims from the fires to more than A$700 million (S$655 million) on Tuesday, with claims expected to jump further when more fire-hit areas are accessible.
Thousands of people have been left homeless, while several in rural towns have spent days without electricity, telecommunications and, in some cases, drinking water.
Military-coordinated rescue and support efforts were ongoing.
Morrison, who has been criticised for his handling of the crisis, on Monday pledged A$2 billion to a newly created National Bushfire Recovery Agency, a commitment that could threaten his election promise to deliver the first budget surplus in more than a decade this financial year.
"There's going to be a very significant economic impact, but ... we want to get money out into these communities as fast as possible," Treasurer Josh Frydenberg told the Australian Broadcasting Corp ahead of planned meetings between Morrison and financial bosses.
On the ground, firefighters were working to get as much control over the huge blazes as possible before forecast high temperatures and winds return afterwards in the week, threatening to ignite a fresh wave of fires.
"They are trying to secure fire lines where they can to try and minimise where these fires will burn again when conditions do warm up," Rob Rogers, New South Wales Rural Fire Service (RFS) Deputy Commissioner told reporters in a morning briefing. "We have no prospect of containment on all those fires, but we can use this time."
There are currently 138 fires ablaze across New South Wales state, but all were now back at the "advice" level, the lowest alert rating. Victoria state had 39 fires with 13 "watch and act" alerts.
All missing people across the country have been accounted for, said the authorities.
Almost 1,600 homes have been destroyed in New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, authorities said. In Victoria state, authorities believe 300 homes have been destroyed.
Insurers have received 8,985 bush fire-related claims in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Queensland since the Insurance Council of Australia declared a bush fire catastrophe on Nov 8. The claims are estimated to have a loss value of A$700 million. The council recorded the destruction of 1,838 residential properties so far.
Meanwhile, a backbencher in Morrison's government was criticised for an appearance on the Good Morning Britain ITV programme during which he said there was no link between climate change and the bush fire crisis. "There is no link, the facts that cause the fires are the drought and the drying of the environment," lawmaker Craig Kelly said on the show.