The Australian authorities evaluated on Sunday the "considerable damage" caused by forest fires the day after a catastrophic day in which the death toll rose to 24.
Hundreds of properties were destroyed and a man died while trying to save a friend's house in extreme conditions, among the worst since the beginning of the fires in September.
In the southeast of the country, the sky turned black and ashes rained on isolated locations.
"We are in unknown territory , " said Gladys Berejiklian, the Prime Minister of New South Wales. "We cannot pretend that this is something we have lived before. It is not," he said. And he warned: "Several municipalities that have never been threatened by a forest fire run the risk of being completely destroyed."
The state of emergency has been declared in the southeast of the country, the most populated region, and on Friday the evacuation of more than 100,000 people in three states was ordered.
Queen's Message
Given the magnitude of the crisis, Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for the deployment of 3,000 military reservists on Saturday to help control the flames that have already burned an area twice as high as Belgium.
An announcement criticized by the New South Wales fire chief, Shane Fitzsimmons, for the way it was made. He says he found out through the media.
This man, the visible face of rescue teams in this state, the most populous in Australia, declared himself "disappointed and frustrated."
The effort of firefighters, three of whom lost their lives fighting the flames, has received praise throughout the country.
Queen Elizabeth II sent a message of sympathy on Sunday to the governor general of Australia, his representative in the country, in which he declared himself "deeply sad" for the fires and thanked the emergency services "that put his own life in danger "to help the population.
Various personalities have also promised or raised millions of dollars to support firefighters and communities affected by fires, such as the American singer Pink , who tweeted on Saturday to donate US $ 500,000 .
The same amount as Australian actress Nicole Kidman . "The support, thoughts and prayers of our family are with everyone affected by the fires in Australia," he wrote on Instagram.
"We donate $ 500,000 to the fire departments they are doing and giving so much right now," he says.
Relative improvement
The conditions this Sunday have improved somewhat, with colder air and some rains in New South Wales and the neighboring state of Victoria.
This will allow the authorities to try to control some foci and assess the damage in these regions.
But many communities were still threatened by wildfires , particularly the city of Eden , in New South Wales, near the demarcation with Victoria.
"Visibility was reduced to less than 50 meters and there was debris falling from the sky, especially white ash," explains John Steele, 73, who on Saturday was evacuated with his wife from his property north of Eden. "The sky is still red."
In Cooma, more inland, in addition to the fires, there was a flood when a large water tower containing 4.5 million liters collapsed, causing an avalanche of mud in some houses.
Air Visual, an independent site that measures air quality, placed Canberra among the most polluted cities in the world, ahead of New Delhi and Kabul, due to the fumes emanating from nearby fires.
Police multiplied patrols in some rural areas affected by fires, due to reports of looting and robberies in the affected properties.
Fires are common in Australia in spring and summer. But this year they went ahead and are more violent, particularly due to conditions more conducive to global warming.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
Know more- Australia
Oceania The emotional tribute to one of the firefighters killed in the fires of Australia
Oceania Australia's Prime Minister apologizes after going on vacation to Hawaii while fires devour the country
Oceania Australia orders more evacuations for the fires that have already caused 17 deaths