A firefighter sprays foam retardant on a backburn ahead of a fire front in the New South Wales town of Jerrawangala on January 1, 2020. (Photo by PETER PARKS / AFP)

(Bloomberg) — Australia's navy rushed to rescue thousands of holiday-makers from a wildfire-ravaged coastal community while many more struggled to escape endangered towns by road before extreme weather triggers fresh infernos in the nation's southeast.

Eight people have been killed in the bushfires that have swept through New South Wales and the neighboring state of Victoria this week, destroying hundreds of properties in rural towns crammed with tourists during the peak summer holiday season.

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