In a statement released on Friday, Mr. Morrison said that “given the most recent tragic events” he would return to Sydney as soon as possible and deeply regretted “the offense caused to any of the many Australians affected by the terrible bushfires by my taking leave with my family at this time.”

Speaking on local radio on Friday morning, he added that, “if it was possible not to be where I was this week, well, maybe. But this had been arranged some time ago and that’s just how it was.”

He said he expected that Australians would be pleased he was returning, but added, “I don’t hold a hose” and “I don’t sit in a control room.”

The leader of the opposition party, Anthony Albanese, criticized the prime minister for his handling of the fires and suggested that volunteers should be compensated for the increasingly strenuous work that was being expected from them as fire seasons grow in length and intensity.