An Irishman caught up in the Australia bushfires has told how it took him half a day to travel just 60km as his family tried to flee a holiday camp.
Diarmuid O'Connor, from Ennis, Co Clare, had to leave Batemans Bay after authorities ordered a mass evacuation.
The dad-of-two, who lives in Sydney, spent New Year's Eve camping at the popular tourist spot.
He has described the "scary" moment the sky went orange after a plume of smoke swept over the campsite - forcing families onto the beach.
He said: "It was a very intense couple of hours. We eventually got back to the campsite and we had another scare then.
"The sky went completely orange and there was no visibility. Smoke everywhere.
"It got very scary but it cleared up after that for a while.
"It has just been mayhem for a few days. There has been no power, no communication. Internet is down, phones are down.
"A lack of communication was a big issue. People didn't know what the situation was."
New South Wales on Thursday issued a seven-day state of emergency due to the bushfires which have killed 12 people since they began last September.
An area half the size of Ireland is currently burning - an unprecedented scale of bushfires.
Diarmuid was parked in evacuation traffic en route to Princes Highway, as he spoke to RTE Radio One on Thursday morning.
He told how it took his family 12 hours to travel to Milton - which is just 60km away from the campsite.
He said: "Essentially, we're sitting in the world's biggest car park.
"Apparently the road is open ahead but they're only letting 100 cars go at a time.
"There's no movement and I'd be very surprised if we move in the next four or five hours."
He added: "Nobody's safe. Everybody is being affected by this. It's unprecedented."
Fuel had to be rationed as several petrol stations were forced to close due to a lack of power.
More than 1,200 homes have been destroyed in New South Wales and Victoria since the fires began. It's understood 17 people remain missing in Victoria.
