Young fathers who died fighting NSW fires identified

Two New South Wales Rural Fire Servicemen who died while fighting fires overnight have been identified as Deputy Captain Geoffrey Keaton, 32, and firefighter Andrew O’Dwyer, 36. Both men - fathers from the Horsley Park Brigade - died after their truck rolled at Buxton, south-west of Sydney about 11.30pm on Thursday. Three other passengers were injured in the rollover and were treated by paramedics at the scene. Another three royal fire servicemen were injured in a separate incident and taken to hospital with severe burns, where two remain in induced comas. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian urged people to reconsider their travel plans over the Christmas period as the bushfire tragedy continued to grip large parts of Australia’s east coast. Premier Berejiklian confirmed at least 20 homes were destroyed by fire and another 20 feared lost on Thursday. A state-wide total fire ban remains in place across NSW. Meanwhile in Queensland, 60 fires continue to burn across Queensland, where at least one property was lost overnight. Qld fire authorities warned conditions were set to worsen at the weekend with hot and windy weather picking up. Two emergency warnings are in place in South Australia, for fires at Kudla and Cudlee Creek.