Thousands Stranded on Beach Encircled by Fire As Bushfires Blaze Through Australia

The sky glows red as bushfires continue to rage in Mallacoota, Victoria, Australia, on Dec. 31, 2019. Melbourne/via Reuters

Thousands of tourists and locals were left stranded on a beach in southeast Australia on Tuesday as bushfires ravaged a popular tourist area, leaving no escape by land.

Up to 4,000 people are trapped on the foreshore of the encircled seaside town of Mallacoota, in the East Gippsland region of Victoria, where authorities said nearby fires were manifesting extreme self-generating thunderstorms and “ember attacks.”