• Photos and video have emerged showing blood red skies above Mallacoota, amid reports 4,000 people are trapped on the beach the holiday town by bushfires.
• According to emergency services, 16 fires are burning at emergency level in New South Wales and Victoria.
• Fires grew rapidly in the Gippsland region overnight due to winds and lightning strikes.
• Visit Business Insider Australia’s homepage for more stories.

Terrifying images emerged Tuesday morning from areas in the Gippsland region of New South Wales and Victoria as bushfires sweep through the area.

According to authorities, up to 4,000 people are trapped in the Victorian coastal holiday town of Mallacoota. Photos and video posted to social media by those taking refuge on the town’s beaches show morning skies which range from bright red to pitch black.

In the early hours of Tuesday Morning, the Country Fire Authority issued a warning for those in Mallacoota, Gipsy Point, Tamboon, Club Terrace, Combienbar and surrounding areas to take refuge and not make an effort to leave.

“You are in danger and need to act immediately to survive,” the warning read. “The safest option is to take shelter indoors immediately. It is too late to leave.”

Mallacoota and the surrounding had not received an evacuation warning on Sunday, whereas other parts of East Gippsland did.

According to emergency services, homes have been lost in the bushfires raging across Victoria’s east, but it is too early to determine the extent of the losses. It is estimated fires have torn through 200,000 hectares of land in the Gippsland, according to 9 News.

Fires developed and spread rapidly overnight Monday due to strong winds and lightning strikes.

At a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Premier Daniel Andrews – who returned from a family holiday on Monday as the bushfire crisis in Victoria worsened – announced he had requested military assistance from Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

“Whatever ADF support can be provided, we’ll be only too happy to use it,” Andrews said at a press conference. “We’re having detailed discussions with the ADF about how we can best use the resources they have.”

Four people are currently missing in the Victorian blazes.

NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons confirmed in a press conference the service is looking into “three potential fatalities” due to fires on the state’s south coast.

In response to a question, Fitzsimons said the current fires “absolutely” represented the worst bushfire season on record in NSW.

Eight blazes are currently raging at emergency level across the state, with the RFS recommending people in affected areas “immediately find a safe & clear location” ahead of a gusty southerly change across the state.

On Monday night, 28-year-old volunteer firefighter Samuel McPaul died when his truck rolled near the NSW-Victoria border town of Jingellic.

According to the RFS commissioner, McPaul’s truck was lifted by a “fire tornado” which may have been formed due to the “collapse of a pyroconvective column” at the fire front.

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