Thirsty koala bottle-fed by firefighter as Australian bushfires rage

AUSTRALIA - A thirsty koala was bottle-fed by a firefighter battling one of the bushfires burning through South Australia on December 21.

The Oakbank Balhannah CFS shared video of the firefighter feeding the animal and said: “Came across this thirsty little guy while out at the Cudlee Creek fire this afternoon, gave him a few bottles of water and he was on his way!”

Bushfires broke out in Cudlee Creek on Friday and by Sunday they had destroyed dozens of homes. The region’s wineries were reported to be devastated by the fires.

The fires in South Australia have been confirmed to have destroyed 86 homes and over 500 other structures.

South Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology said that heat-wave conditions were persisting over the north of the state and temperatures well over 100 degrees were expected to return to Adelaide by the following weekend.