Communities Had No Warning of Bushfires

A firefighter conducts back-burning measures to secure residential areas from encroaching bushfires in the Central Coast, some 90-110 kilometres north of Sydney on Dec. 10, 2019. Toxic haze blanketed Sydney on Dec. 10 triggering a chorus of smoke alarms to ring across the city, as Australians braced for "severe" weather conditions expected to fuel deadly bush blazes. Saeed Khan/via Getty Images

A number of councils have told the bushfires royal commission that telecommunication problems meant some communities had no warning, leaving people trapped.

The loss of power and telecommunications meant large areas and towns cut off by bushfire or blocked roads could not be warned about the fire threat, councils told the bushfires royal commission.