CUDLEE CREEK, Australia (WTHR) — A firefighter helped a thirsty koala drink water form a bottle in south Australia Sunday while fires continued to rage in the region.
The koala appeared in Cudlee Creek — about 25 miles northeast of Adelaide — before the fire came through while the firefighters were there.
Authorities confirmed Saturday that one person died and 15 homes were destroyed in south Australia as a wildfire ravaged the Adelaide hills on Friday.
Another person was critically injured after fighting to save his home from the fires.
The annual Australian fire season, which peaks during the southern hemisphere summer, started early after an unusually warm and dry winter.
More than 7 million acres of land has burned nationwide during a torrid past few months, with nine people killed and more than 800 homes destroyed.