At least 33 people have died in bushfires in Australia since the summer season began in October.

The death toll is highest in NSW, where 25 people have been confirmed dead since October. Victoria has had five confirmed deaths and South Australia three. This story will be updated if further deaths are confirmed.

New South Wales



Robert (Bob) Lindsey, 77, Coongbar

Bob Lindsey and his wife, Gwen Hyde, died in a bushfire on their rural property on Deadman Creek Road at Coongbar, about 50km south-west of Byron Bay in northern NSW. Their bodies were discovered in their home on 9 October, the day after the fire went through.

They had been married for three years and both left behind children from previous marriages. Lindsey had operated a service station before retiring.

Gwen Hyde, 68, Coongbar

Gwen Hyde died with her husband, Bob Lindsey.

Hyde’s friend, Carol Dillon, told the Australian that Hyde had called her asking for advice about the fire only hours before.

“Gwen rang me to see if I had the phone number for the fire brigade as she was getting spot fires in her orchard and wanted to know what to do,” Dillon said.

[She was] a strong woman who died protecting the home and animals she loved. Chrystal Harwood, daughter-in-law of Vivian Chaplain

Vivian Chaplain, 69, Wytaliba

Vivian Chaplain was critically injured trying to defend her home at Wytaliba, 40km east of Glen Innes, on 8 November in northern NSW. She died in hospital the next day.

She is survived by two children and six grandchildren and was remembered by her daughter-in-law as “a strong woman who died protecting the home and animals she loved”. She was a former director of Wytaliba village and was described by a friend as “relentlessly wonderful”.

George Nole, 85, Glen Innes

George Nole died in his car in the Kangwalla fire near Glen Innes, in the northern NSW bushfire crisis on 8 November. He was described by residents of Wytaliba as a “true gentleman”.

Nole was born in Greece and worked as an electrician on Nasa’s Apollo program, the Glen Innes Examiner reported. He moved to Wytaliba in the 1980s when the community was largely a nudist colony. A friend, Philip Hine, described Nole as a “reclusive nudist” and a man who moved to the isolated village “to be himself”.

He had been diagnosed with leukaemia in 2014 and wanted to die at home.

Julie Fletcher, 63, Johns River

Julie Fletcher’s body was found in a burnt-out building at Johns River, 20km south of Port Macquarie, the day after the 8 November bushfire crisis in northern NSW.

A neighbour, Russel Souter, described her as a “quality person” whose family had lived in the region for several generations.

Barry Parsons, 58, Willawarrin

Barry Parsons is also assumed to have died in the 8 November fires that raged across northern NSW. He lived alone in a shed at Willawarrin, 60km north-west of Port Macquarie.

His body was found not far from that shed on 13 November, but he had not been heard of since the morning of 8 November when he posted on social media: “Seriously looks and sounds like [the apocalypse] out there. Fucked up being on your own in these times.”

Gerard Wade, captain of the Bellbrook fire brigade, told the Australian that Parsons was quite well known in the region and his death “will touch lives real bad”. Others described him as “a lovely gentle guy”.

Chris Savva, 64, South Arm near Nambucca Heads

Chris Savva died when his SUV rolled down an embankment after his route out of the fire zone was blocked by a burnt-out bridge on 9 November. Savva had spent the previous day fighting to save his house.

Savva’s neighbour, Petra Campbell, told the Sydney Morning Herald her partner Mandy and her son had found Savva in the upturned car.

“He was pretty shy, but he was part of a very tight-knit rural community,” Campbell said.

Geoffrey Keaton, 32, and Andrew O’Dwyer, 36, both fathers to young children, died when a tree fell in the path of their truck near Buxton. Photograph: Rural Fire Service

Geoffrey Keaton, 32, Buxton

Geoffrey Keaton was the deputy captain of the Horsley Park volunteer fire brigade. He and fellow volunteer Andrew O’Dwyer died when a tree fell in the path of their truck near Buxton in the NSW southern highlands on 19 December, causing the truck to veer off the road and roll. “Just a half second either way and they would have been OK,” RFS commissioner Shane Fitzimmons said.

They were travelling in a convoy after fighting the Green Wattle Creek fire near Balmoral. Keaton’s father was fighting the Gospers Mountain fire at the time.

Keaton was given an honour guard at his funeral on 2 January, and Fitzimmons presented his young son, Harvey, with a posthumous commendation for bravery and service. He is survived by Harvey and his fiancee, Harvey’s mother, Jess Hayes.

Andrew O’Dwyer, 36, Buxton

Andrew O’Dwyer died when the fire truck he was travelling in veered off the road and rolled late on the night of 19 December. He was a volunteer with the Horsley Park RFS and died alongside fellow volunteer Geoffrey Keaton. They were travelling in a convoy after fighting the Green Wattle Creek fire.

He is survived by his wife, Melissa, and daughter, Charlotte. Melissa O’Dwyer told the Daily Telegraph that the volunteer brigade had become “aunties and uncles” to Charlotte and Keaton’s son, Harvey, “and that gives me a lot of comfort”.

“They can hear the stories about their dads and how mighty they have been,” she said.

Samuel McPaul, 28, Jingellic

Samuel McPaul with his wife, Megan. Photograph: NSW RFS

Volunteer firefighter Samuel McPaul died when the fire truck he was travelling flipped in a “fire tornado” at Jingellic, about 110km east of Albury, on 30 December.

He was expecting his first child in May with his wife, Megan. He attended school at Broulee on the NSW south coast and studied animal science at Charles Sturt University at Wagga Wagga. He was also a basketball coach in Holbrook and worked as a mechanic. A spokesman for the NSW Rural Fire Service said McPaul “did everything for the right reasons” and always put the community first.

He is the third Rural Fire Service volunteer to die this fire season. Geoffrey Keaton, 32, and Andrew O’Dwyer, 36, died when a tree hit their tanker while they were fighting a fire at Balmoral, south-west of Sydney, on 19 December.

Robert Salway, 63, and Patrick Salway, 29, Wandella near Cobargo

Robert Salway died with his son Patrick, 29, attempting to defend the family property at Wandella, about 10km north-west of Cobargo, from the Badja Forest Road fire on 30 December. Their bodies were discovered by Robert’s wife, Patrick’s mother, on 31 December.

They were described by friends as “one of the tightest, close-knit families you’ll ever come across”.

Robert was a well-known dairy farmer in the Bega region.

Patrick’s wife of five years, Renee, posted a tribute to him on social media. The pair were expecting their second child.

“I will see you again Patrick, my best friend,” Renee posted on social media. “We are broken.”

Patrick also worked in the dairy industry, providing specialist engineering services, and ran a performance horse business with his wife. He was also a rodeo rider.

American aerial firefighters Ian McBeth, 45, Paul Clyde Hudson, 43, and Rick A DeMorgan Jr, 44, killed in the Snowy Mountains crash

Captain Ian McBeth, 45, from Great Falls in Montana, was a “highly qualified and respected C-130 pilot with many years fighting fire, both in the military and with Coulson Aviation”, the company said in a statement.

He served with the Wyoming Air National Guard and was a member of the Montana Air National Guard. He was a qualified instructor and evaluator pilot and spent his entire career flying C-130s.

McBeth is survived by his wife Bowdie, three children Abigail, Calvin and Ella, parents William and Anneliese and three siblings.

First Officer Paul Clyde Hudson, 43, from Buckeye, Arizona, served in the US Marine Corps for 20 years, including as a C-130 pilot. He reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel before retiring and working for Coulson Aviation.

Hudson is survived by his wife Noreen.

Flight Engineer Rick A DeMorgan Jr, 44, from Navarre, Florida, served as a flight engineer on the C-130 in the US Air Force for 18 years. He had more than 4,000 hours as a flight engineer, including 2,000 in a combat environment.

DeMorgan is survived by his children Lucas and Logan, parents Rick Sr and Linda, and his sister Virginia.

Ten more people confirmed dead in NSW but not yet identified

A man who sheltered in a water tank during a bushfire that swept through his property in Yarrowitch on 7 November was seriously burnt. He was flown to Port Macquarie and then the specialist burns unit at Sydney’s Royal North Shore hospital, but he died of his injuries on 29 December.

A 72-year-old man from Belowra, who had been unaccounted for since 30 December, was confirmed dead by NSW police. He was found on Belowra Road, about 5km northwest of Cobargo.

A 70-year-old man was found dead outside a home at Yatte Yattah, 6km west of Lake Conjola, on 1 January.

A man was found in a car on Wandra Road in Sussex Inlet on 1 January.

A person was found outside a home at Coolagolite, 10km east of Cobargo on 1 January.

A man was found dead in a car in a road off the Princes Highway at Yatte Yattah on 1 January.

A man, 47, died of a heart attack while helping a friend defend their property near Batlow on 4 January.

A man, 71, was confirmed dead after a search of a property in Nerrigundah in the Eurobodalla shire on 6 January. The man had been reported missing, last seen moving equipment on his property on 31 December 2019. Rescue units had been unable to access the property due to the risk of the fire at Badja Forest Road. Police said: “About 4pm the body of a man was located between the property and a car, which had both been destroyed by fire”.

An 84-year-old Cobargo man died in Sydney’s Concord hospital on 18 January from burns suffered in the fires on New Year’s Eve.

Police found a body believed to be that of a 59-year-old man at a burnt-out house near Moruya on 24 January, a day after devastating fires once again tore through the NSW south coast.

Victoria



David Moresi, 69, Gelantipy

The 69-year-old contractor died when his vehicle rolled down an embankment at a private property at Gelantipy, about 50km north of Buchan, on 30 November. He was part of a bulldozer crew building fire breaks, which provide a safe edge for backburning operations. The head of Forest Fire Management Victoria, Chris Hardman, said the kind of work done by contractors such as Moresi was just as important as those of firefighters themselves. He said Moresi was “a pillar of the community, a dedicated educator”.

“He loved the bush and he inspired so many people to be in the great outdoors,” Hardman said at a media conference on 15 January, when Moresi’s name was released following his funeral. “The many grandchildren, the great bushmen of the future, he taught them all to shoot, fish, hunt. These kids are a legacy of David’s contribution to his own family and the broader community. Also an inspirational human being, supporting building of schools in Thailand and other places.”

Mick Roberts, 67, Buchan

East Gippsland man Mick Roberts was confirmed dead by his family on 1 January. A family member found his body in the bedroom of his Buchan home. He was a well-known local cattleman and stayed to defend his 180-hectare farm, but had been unaccounted for since a bushfire burned through the town on 30 December.

No matter how rough or hard he looked on the outside, he was so lovely on the inside. Toby Parsons remembers Mick Roberts

“He loved his farm,” his sister, Jenner Carter, told the ABC. “He would never have left his home no matter what.”

She recalled his wit and dry humour. Other family members told News Corp that he was a well-loved, salt-of-the-earth farmer, who “believed you don’t run from anything”.

His grand-nephew, Toby Parsons, told the ABC he was “someone you could look up to”, a “hero” in the community.

“I always had respect for him and no matter how rough or hard he looked on the outside, he was so lovely on the inside and would always make you feel good,” Parsons said.

Fred Becker, Maramingo Creek in East Gippsland

Fred Becker collapsed from a suspected heart attack on 1 January after he had spent the previous 24 hours fighting flames at his property in Maramingo Creek and assisting neighbours. His body was discovered by his family.

Mat Kavanagh, 43, Thornton

Kavanagh, a father of two, died in a car crash on the Goulburn Valley Highway at Thornton, near Mansfield, on 3 January, Victoria’s emergency services minister, Lisa Neville, said.

Neville said Kavanagh worked for Forest Fire Management Victoria, and was killed while working on preventing new fires from starting, and had extinguished seven unattended camp fires on the day he died.

Kavanagh would be “remembered for his friendly and welcoming nature, his passion for the environment and nature, and his love of fly-fishing”, she said. He leaves a wife, Jude, and children Ruben and Kate.

Bill Slade, 60, Wonthaggi

A veteran firefighter of more than 40 years, Slade was hit by a tree while working to contain a fire near Omeo in the Anglers Rest area on 11 January.

“He has been a long serving member of Parks Victoria,” Forest Fire Management chief Chris Hardman said. “This is a significant loss for the Forest Fire Management Victoria family and the Victorian community as a whole.”

Matt Jackson, the chief executive of Parks Victoria, said Slade was a “much loved colleague, friend, and member of the Wonthaggi community. Slade had recently been presented with recognition for his 40 years of service in land management and fire management.

“At 60 years of age, working as an arduous firefighter, Bill has been one of our most experienced, long serving and fittest firefighters,” Jackson said.

He is survived by his wife, Carol, and children Steph and Ethan.

South Australia



Ron Selth, 69, Charleston

Ron Selth died in his home at Charleston in the Adelaide Hills, which was destroyed in the Cudlee Creek bushfire on 21 December.

His family remembered him for his “incredible, sometimes injury-causing hugs” and said he would be “deeply missed”.

“Some people give firm hugs. I don’t know what’s beyond firm, but that’s what Dad occasionally delivered. When he gave a hug, he meant it.”

Selth had an engineering business in the Adelaide Hills. He is survived by his partner Suzy, three children, and six grandchildren.

Dick Lang, 78, and Clayton Lang, 43, Kangaroo Island

Dick Lang and his son, Clayton Lang, were trapped by flames as they returned to the family property on Kangaroo Island after fighting the blaze for two days. Their bodies were found on the Playford Highway near Gosse on 4 January.

“Dick and Clayton were prominent members of the South Australian community who rose to the top in their chosen professions,” the family said.

Known as “Desert Dick”, Lang was a pioneering bush pilot and safari operator who opened up the outback to travellers from Australia and overseas. He first offered 4WD adventures in 1965, later adding aircraft trips to all corners of Australia and other countries, from Papua New Guinea to Africa.

“He loved the bush, he loved adventure and he loved Kangaroo Island,” the family said.

They said Clayton, one of Lang’s four sons, was one of Adelaide’s leading plastic and reconstructive surgeons, specialising in hand surgery. He was supervisor of surgical training and clinical lead of hand surgery at Adelaide’s Queen Elizabeth hospital.