SYDNEY, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- A firefighter has died after being crushed by a tree while fighting a bushfire in the eastern Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) on Sunday night.
Authorities said on Monday that emergency services were called to reports that a man had been struck by a tree on a property near the town of Bulahdelah, 190 km northeast of Sydney, around 10:45 p.m. on Sunday.
He was treated by ambulance paramedics, but died at the scene.
Chris Minns, the premier of NSW, confirmed that the man was a firefighter from the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).
"It's a deeply distressing turn of events and a sad day for NSW," Minns said.
The NSW NPWS said that the man was working on a major bushfire near Bulahdelah in the state's Mid North Coast region at the time of the incident.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement posted on social media that all Australians are thinking of the loved ones and colleagues of the firefighter in their time of grief.
At least 20 homes had been destroyed by widespread bushfires across NSW as of Sunday night, with natural disasters declared in six areas, including the Mid North Coast.
According to the NSW Rural Fire Service, the Bulahdelah fire spanned over 3,400 hectares on Monday morning but was under control. ■
