Bushfires: Black Saturday firefighter killed in crash while on duty

A Victorian firefighter honoured for his contribution to fighting the 2009 Black Saturday fires died while on duty on Friday.

Fire victim Matthew Kavanagh, who worked for Forest Fire Management Victoria.

The death toll from the national bushfire crisis has climbed to 26, after a Victorian firefighter who was honoured for his contribution to fighting the 2009 Black Saturday fires died while on duty on ­Friday.

Forest Fire Management Victoria firefighter Matt Kavanagh, 43, died after he and a colleague were involved in a vehicle collision on the Goulburn Valley Highway, it was confirmed on Wednesday.

The colleague, who was driving, was taken to hospital but has since been released.

Authorities have confirmed that more than 300 homes have been destroyed in Victoria’s fires, with the number expected to rise as assessments continue in previously inaccessible areas.

In Mallacoot­a alone, 80 homes have been lost.

The scale of the damage in NSW is even greater, with the Rural Fire Service confirming on Wednesday that 1687 homes had been destroyed and another 692 damaged. More than 3300 outbuildings and 168 facilities have been razed.

According to the Insurance Council of Australia, insurers have received 8985 claims, totalling a loss of $700m since September 5. NSW made up 70 per cent of these losses, with 20 per cent in Victoria, 7 per cent in South Australia and 3 per cent in Queensland. It anticipates the number will rise, with large commercial and insurance broker claims likely to take longer to be lodged.

Residents in bushfire-ravaged communities in the southeast have again been warned to stay away from areas at risk from fire ahead of hot, windy conditions forecast for Thursday and Friday. More than a dozen fires continue to burn, with the most concerning being the Corryong fire in Victoria’s northeast, which risks joining up with fires in NSW.

“We will see conditions of extreme­ and severe, particularly in the north country and northeast of Victoria … where we have going fires at the moment, and very high in East Gippsland,” Victoria Emergency Services Minister Lisa ­Neville said, adding that fire-affect­ed areas would be more humid than last week.

“This absolutely makes a difference to the Forest Fire Danger Index, and that’s why … people should leave those fire-impacted areas. The safest place to be is outside those areas.”

The warning came as Corryong residents were able to return home for the first time after two fires.

Australian Defence Force soldiers have flooded the town and surrounding outposts to help with the clean-up efforts, distribute feed to affected farmers and dispose of dead stock.

Also on Wednesday, 67 American and Canadian firefighters arrived­ in Melbourne to join 41 Americans already working in East Gippsland, with another­ 140 North Americans set to arrive within a fortnight.

Forest Fire Management Victoria chief Chris Hardman paid tribute to Mr Kavanagh, who was married with two young children, saying he had extinguished seven unattended campfires the day he died. He had worked at the state government department for 10 years and was awarded a Nationa­l Emergency Medal in 2016 for his work on Black Saturday.

“He was a Melbourne boy and had a great love of the great outdoors and (was) a keen fisherman,” Mr Hardman said. “He’s such a well-loved guy. It’s a devastating loss for everybody in the sector … for those people that knew Matt, it’s going to take a long time.”