Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman are both heading home to Australia for the holidays.
The actors and longtime pals posed for a selfie Saturday after landing in their home country. Crowe shared a sweet message on Twitter, thanking Australian airline Qantas for his safe, timely travels.
"Thanks for getting me home in time for Christmas out of the craziness that is LAX, and thanks for the pure gift of sitting me next to one of my favourite people in the universe," Crowe wrote.
After a follower wondered if the photo, featuring the two actors looking merry and bright, was taken before the lengthy flight from Los Angeles to Sydney, Crowe confirmed the two landed looking fresh and joyful.
"The extra sparkle comes from being on Australian soil," he added, wishing his followers a "Merry Christmas."
Kidman shared the same photo, remarking, "You never know who you'll run into on your way home for Christmas."
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Crowe, a New Zealand native, has spent most of his life in Australia. He has two kids, 13-year-old Tennyson and 16-year-old Charles, with his ex-wife Danielle Spencer.
Kidman, who was born in Hawaii to Australian parents, holds dual citizenship and shares a Nashville home with her husband, fellow Aussie and country music star Keith Urban, in addition to their Australian farmhouse.
The two famous friends have known each other for more 30 years and appeared together in the 2018 drama "Boy Erased." Crowe attended Kidman's dad's funeral in 2014.
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A woman takes a photo 'the Burnt Christmas tree' in Sydney. The art installation is to help support the Australian Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund in the wake of the bush fire situation across New South Wales.
“Burnt Christmas tree” was built by artist James Dive from charred logs and other bush fire remnants.
Horses in a paddock as the Gospers Mountain Fire impacts Bilpin, in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, on Dec. 21 2019. A
A community Christmas tree stands against a smoke filled sky in Sydney on Dec. 6.
Smoke haze from bush fires blankets the Sydney central business district, as beachgoers jump from a cliff in Nielsen Park.
A burnt Christmas decoration lies on the ground in front of a house recently destroyed by bush fires on the outskirts of the town of Bargo, Australia.
People enjoy their work Christmas party floating down the Yarra River in Melbourne, Australia, on Dec. 20 2019.
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It’s become a symbol of this year’s tragic holiday season in Australia: a tree crafted from burned bicycles, charred wood and even a fire alarm collected in areas scorched by raging bush fires.
The “burnt Christmas tree” is on display in Sydney’s central business district as “a symbol of support for those who’ve lost their homes and livelihood,” according to the Australian Red Cross, which helped set it up as part of a fundraising campaign.
It’s one of several projects underway by Australians trying to keep a holiday spirit alive as they struggle with the fallout of weeks of fierce fires, sizzling temperatures and suffocating pollution that have left eight people dead and, so far, destroyed more than 700 homes and 3 million acres of farming land.
The chaos pushed Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison to cut short a planned family trip to Hawaii. He apologized Friday for being on holiday as the fires blazed. Morrison’s conservative government has tried to calm Australians by emphasizing that bush fires and droughts in the country are common. That has not eased the fears of many who see these fires as symbolizing climate change’s threat to their way of life in a country that’s a major producer of coal, oil, and natural gas.
NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Karen Webb talks to media at the NSW Rural Fire Service Headquarters on Dec. 21, in Sydney. A catastrophic fire danger warning has been issued for the greater Sydney region, the Illawarra and southern ranges as hot, windy conditions continue to hamper firefighting efforts across NSW. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian declared a state of emergency on Thursday, the second state of emergency declared in NSW since the start of the bushfire season.
Horses in a paddock as the Gospers Mountain Fire impacts Bilpin, in the Blue Mountains, on Dec. 21. According to media reports, conditions are expected to worsen across much of the state as temperatures exceed 40 degrees Celsius.
A firefighting helicopter in action as the Grose Valley Fire approaches Bilpin, New South Wales, on Dec. 21.
A general view shows smoke from a bushfire near Gumeracha in the Adelaide Hills, on Dec. 21.
Firefighters tend to burning property caused by bushfires in Bargo, southwest of Sydney, on Dec. 21.
Smoke haze from bushfires blankets the Sydney central business district as beachgoers jump from a cliff in Nielsen Park during hot weather on Dec. 21.
Helicopters dump water on bushfires as they approach homes located on the outskirts of the town of Bargo on Dec. 21.
Staff work at the NSW Rural Fire Service State Operations Centre at the NSW Rural Fire Service Headquarters at Sydney Olympic Park on Dec. 21.
Firefighters tend to burning property caused by bushfires in Bargo, on Dec. 21.
The sky is filled with smoke, and ash on Dec. 21, in Shoalhaven Heads.
Sunbathers are seen on Bondi Beach as temperatures soar in Sydney on Dec. 21.
NSW Rural Fire Service crews fight the Gospers Mountain Fire as it impacts a structure at Bilpin, in the Blue Mountains, on Dec. 21.
Members of the Horsley Park RFS are seen at a memorial for volunteer firefighters who died when their fire truck was struck by a falling tree as it traveled through the front line of a fire, at the Horsley Park Rural Fire Brigade on Dec. 20, in Horsley Park, NSW, Australia.
A farmer uses a hose to douse flames as he drives a tractor in a burning paddock where a large bush fire burns near homes on the outskirts of the town of Bilpin on Dec. 19, in Sydney, Australia.
Fire and rescue personnel prepare to use a hose in an effort to extinguish a bush fire as it burns near homes on Dec. 19, in Sydney, Australia.
Rural Fire Service (RFS) crews engage in property protection of a number of homes along the Old Hume Highway on Dec. 19, in the southwest of Sydney, Australia.
Residents watch a large bushfire as seen from Bargo, 150km southwest of Sydney, on Dec. 19. A state of emergency was declared in Australia's most populated region as an unprecedented heatwave fanned out-of-control bushfires, destroying homes and smothering huge areas with a toxic smoke.
A helicopter drops fire retardant to protect a property in Balmoral, on Dec. 19.
A property burns from bushfires in Balmoral, on Dec. 19.
A tourist boat rides on the Harbour in thick smoke in Sydney, on Dec. 19.
A bushfire burns behind a property in Balmoral, on Dec. 19.
A helicopter drops water onto a large bushfire in Bargo, on Dec. 19.
Trees burn as a bushfire threatens homes on the outskirts of the town of Bilpin, on Dec. 19.
A farmer drives a tractor as he uses a hose to put out a fire burning in his paddock on Dec. 19, in Sydney.
A firefighter pulls a hose to douse a bushfire in Dargan, on Dec. 18.
Burnt trees are seen after a bushfire in Mount Weison in Blue Mountains, on Dec. 18.
New South Wales Rural Fire Service and Fire and Rescue crews work to contain the Gospers Mountain fire in the Blue Mountains National Park, Australia, on Dec. 17.
Australia's New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian (C) meets with NSW Rural Fire Service Deputy Commissioner Rob Rogers (L) and RFS Superintendent Karen Hodges (R) during a briefing in Wilberforce, Australia, on Dec. 17.
Fire and rescue crews work to contain the Gospers Mountain fire in the Blue Mountains National Park, Australia, on Dec. 17.
Emergency Leaders for Climate Action spokesperson Greg Mullins speaks at a media event in Sydney, Australia, on Dec. 17.
Fire and Rescue crews work to contain the Gospers Mountain fire in the Blue Mountains National Park, Australia, on Dec. 17.
Demonstrators participate in a climate protest rally in Sydney on Dec. 15.
A bushfire burns outside the Perth Cricket Satdium in Perth on Dec. 13.
Activists rally for climate action at Hyde Park on Dec. 11, in Sydney.
A man wears a face mask as smoke haze is seen over Sydney and the air quality index reaches higher than ten times hazardous levels in some suburbs on Dec. 11.
A young girl wearing a mask looks on during a rally for climate action at Sydney Town Hall on Dec. 11, in Sydney.
A number of bushfires combined into a single giant blaze north of Sydney on Dec. 10, blanketing Australia’s biggest city in hazardous smoke. Firefighters believe it will take weeks to control the blaze.
Firefighters spring to action at the Three Mile Fire in the suburb of Kulnura on Dec. 10.
The Sydney Harbour Bridge is enveloped in haze caused by nearby bushfires on Dec. 10
Thick smoke from wildfires shroud the Opera House on Dec. 10.
Smoke haze is seen over Bondi Beach on Dec. 10.
Firefighters battle a flare-up on Dec. 10.
Residents look on from a balcony as smoke and flames from a back burn, conducted to secure the area from encroaching bushfires, are seen close to homes at the Spencer area in Central Coast, some 90-110 kilometres north of Sydney on Dec. 9.
A Rural Fire Service firefighters starts a controlled backburn in an effort to contain an approaching fire near Nattai, southwest of Sydney, on Dec. 7.
A New South Wales Rural Fire Service officer establishes a backburn to contain a bushfire in Mangrove Mountain, on Dec. 8.
A New South Wales Rural Fire Service officer establishes a backburn to contain a bushfire in Mangrove Mountain, on Dec. 8.
A firefighter conducting back burning measures to secure residential areas from encroaching bushfires. on Dec. 7.
A fire rating display showing high alert as bushfire burn at the Mangrove Dam, on Dec. 7.
Flames from back burning measures, used to secure residential areas from encroaching bushfires, on Dec. 7.
Firefighters conducting back burning measures to secure residential areas from encroaching bushfires, on Dec. 7.
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Slideshow by photo services
In the meantime, Australians, aren’t giving up. Aid groups such as the Salvation Army have set up stations across affected areas, while volunteer firefighters have deployed for weeks now despite the low pay and many dangers, including death. Charities are urging people to buy gifts, anything from crafts to a Christmas ham, from businesses in areas affected by the fires. Even firefighters in Canada have offered to give up their Christmas or winter break to come to Australia and help fight the blaze.
Australian schools are now closed for a holiday break, a popular time to travel to areas around Sydney, such as the Blue Mountains and Shoalhaven and Illawarra regions, that this year are engulfed in flames. At first Australians were hesitant to change Christmas or other vacation plans, but now authorities are warning residents of smoke-filled Sydney not to leave, lest they become caught in burning roads and inferno-like conditions, the Guardian reported.
Still, there have been little moments of luck or, for some, miracles, along the way.
A man who calls himself Neil — who told Australia’s ABC that he “wished to remain anonymous because he believes that is part of the fun” — has for the past seven years decorated one tree along a road in Queensland with Christmas lights and cheer, after his wife first came up with the idea. Last year, their efforts went locally viral on Facebook when they added solar-powered lights. This year, Neil was so sure the yuletide tree would be lost to the flames that he had already bought new decorations.
But help came in the form of 70-year-old volunteer firefighter Curl Santacaterina, who insisted they save that tree. And so Santacaterina bravely stood on the back of a firetruck and sprayed a hose to water the tree as flames raged around him.
“We’re really, really pleased that everybody is getting a buzz out of it and getting a bit of Christmas spirit,” Neil told ABC.
He added, “When I heard it had been saved I guess I almost got a bit emotional about it. ... I thought ‘wow, this has really taken off and got a bit of community spirit — a bit of something happening’.”
One person has died and another is missing as wildfires continue to burn across three Australian states.
In New South Wales, sudden southerly winds fanned the flames of more than 100 blazes and fire officials said a man who had chosen to stay at his property could no longer be contacted.
Saturday had been an "awful day", NSW fire chief Shane Fitzsimmons said.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has cut short a holiday in Hawaii after being criticised for leaving amid the crisis.
Earlier acting prime minister Michael McCormack conceded that more had to be done to tackle global warming, after many Australians linked the severity of this year's fires to climate change.
Since September, Australia's bushfire emergency has killed at least nine people, destroyed more than 700 houses and scorched millions of hectares.
What happened on Saturday?
Rising temperatures and strong winds worsened fires in three states.
In South Australia one person was found dead, another was critically injured and 15 homes had been destroyed about 40km (25 miles) east of the state capital of Adelaide.
In New South Wales a man was missing in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney after towns in the area were hit by an ember attack - when burning vegetation is blown ahead of the main blaze and starts new fires.
However the southerly winds later eased and by Saturday evening six fires in the state were deemed to be at emergency level - the second highest level of danger after catastrophic - including two near Sydney.
In Canberra a cricket match was called off because of poor air quality resulting from smoke from the fires.
New South Wales leader Gladys Berejiklian urged Christmas travellers to delay their journeys.
"We are asking everybody not to travel on roads anywhere near the vicinity of an active fire unless you absolutely have to," she said.
In Victoria, authorities said 142 fires had started in the state since Friday. One of these was burning at an emergency level by Saturday afternoon.
What is driving the fires?
A combination of temperatures above 40C, low humidity and strong winds have worsened the struggle for the 3,000 emergency personnel mobilised to deal with the bushfires in NSW.
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"We are in a period of unbelievable drought and some areas haven't seen rain for more than 12 months", NSW Rural Fire Services Inspector Ben Shepherd told the BBC.
"These fires are likely to continue to spread well past Christmas", he added.
Some of the fires in NSW were generating their own thunderstorms, the Rural Fire Service said.
Conditions were expected to improve over the next few days ahead of another period of hot weather expected next week.
"We will not get on top of these fires until we get some decent rain - we have said that for weeks and months," Mr Fitzsimmons said.
However weather officials say no major rainfall is expected in the next two months.
The Gospers Mountain mega fire has destroyed about 460,000 hectares (1.14 million acres) north-west of Sydney and fire officials said there was a risk it could merge with the Grose Valley fire in the Blue Mountains.
What travel warnings have been issued?
The states of NSW and South Australia are the focus of the travel warnings.
In NSW, several major roads and highways have been closed, including a section of the Princes Highway.
Roads have been closed in South Australia as well, with residents asked to monitor the government traffic website for updates.
"If members of the public attempt to enter the areas, they will be turned away, regardless of being property owners or business owners, due to specific safety reasons," a police official said.
Who are the victims?
Tributes have been paid to firefighters Geoffrey Keaton, 32, and Andrew O'Dwyer, 36, who died when their truck was hit by a falling tree near a fire front, causing it to roll off the road.
Three other firefighters who were also in the vehicle survived with minor injuries.
NSW fire commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said firefighters everywhere were grieving over the "huge loss" of the two young fathers, who were caught up in "the worst imaginable set of circumstances".
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"[They] simply went out, doing a remarkable job, like all their colleagues, and like they have done year-in, year-out, and to not be coming home after their shift is a tremendous grief," he said.
South Australian Premier Steven Marshall said a person had been killed in Murraylands, when the car they were driving hit a tree. Another person died in the Charleston area of the Adelaide Hills, authorities said.
Why is Morrison facing pressure on climate change?
Many Australians have accused Prime Minister Scott Morrison's government of inaction on climate change.
Last year, the UN reported that Australia was not on track to meet its commitments under the Paris Agreement - the global deal to tackle rising global temperatures.
Firefighters' union leader Leighton Drury said Australia was "seeing an absolute lack of leadership from this government and it is a disgrace".
Mr McCormack acknowledged that further action must be taken to combat climate change but said there was "a lot of hysteria" surrounding the issue.
"Climate change is not the only factor that has caused these fires. There has been dry lightning strikes, there has been self-combusting piles of manure, there has been a lot of arsonists out there causing fire," he said.
Although climate change is not the direct cause of bushfires, scientists have long warned that a hotter, drier climate would contribute to Australia's fires becoming more frequent and more intense.
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Rural Fire Service officers engage in property protection of a number of homes along the Old Hume Highway near the town of Tahmoor, New South Wales, as the Green Wattle Creek Fire threatens a number of communities in the southwest of Sydney.
Dean Lewins/AP
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Dean Lewins/AP
A large portion of Australia is on fire after weeks of extreme heat, strong winds and drought have created ideal conditions for hundreds of bushfires to thrive across the country. Several fires have been burning since November, particularly in the Eastern state of New South Wales.
The fires threaten many of Australia's largest population centers, including Sydney, a city of more than 5 million, which has been cloaked in smoke. Blazes have destroyed hundreds of homes and almost 3 million acres of bushland, threatening the habitat of countless wildlife, including already endangered koalas. One fire in the state of Victoria has reportedly become large enough to generate its own weather.
The fires come after years of drought in parts of the country and record-breaking heat. Earlier this week, Australia had its hottest day on record — only to break that record the following day. And fire season has just begun, leaving many bracing for worse.
Thick smoke from wildfires shroud the Opera House in Sydney, Australia, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2019. Hot dry conditions have brought an early start to the fire season.
Rick Rycroft/AP
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Rick Rycroft/AP
Thousands of firefighters are currently deployed, many of whom are volunteers. Several have been injured and two died earlier this week when a fallen tree limb overturned their vehicle. Their deaths prompted Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison to return early from a family vacation to Hawaii — a vacation that was largely criticized as tone-deaf by much of the public as the country battled its worst fire season in recent memory.
"I deeply regret any offence caused to any of the many Australians affected by the terrible bushfires by my taking leave with family at this time," Morrison said in a statement released Friday. Morrison has previously been scrutinized for his unwillingness to link Australia's greenhouse gas emissions to extreme fire conditions last month.
The prime minister's return coincides with a new state of emergency issued for New South Wales, the country's most populous state, as "catastrophic" fire conditions were listed for the region, the highest fire danger rating possible in the country. Andrea Peace, a meteorologist for Australia's Bureau of Meteorology said Saturday could be the worst day for the area, as a front moves in from the south.
"What it's going to do is bring quite a strong, gusty southerly wind...(which) creates a really dangerous period for the fire grounds because it rapidly changes the directions of the fires there," Peace said.
She said there could be gusts of up to 100 kilometers per hour, or about 62 miles per hour.
The strong southerly winds are likely to have a significant impact on a number of #NSW fire grounds over nxt few hours, especially north & nth-west of #Sydney. Multiple #fires at #Emergency levels tonight & properties have been lost today. Keep monitoring https://t.co/o2h2Cyg7YZpic.twitter.com/MFiLdip9lT
— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) December 21, 2019
Julia Holman, a reporter for Australian Broadcasting Corporation in Sydney, told NPR's David Greene earlier this week that the fires are already overwhelming the area.
"New South Wales is an enormous state. It's bigger than the size of Texas. And the fires literally go from the top of the state right down to the bottom," Holman said.
She said fires are very common in Australia, but not like this.
"The problem is that it's so dry that we cannot put out these fires. And that's what's different this time around," she said.
"These fires are also in very dense bushland. They cannot be put out by human effort," Holman continued. "We're waiting for rain. But we're in the midst of the worst drought on record here in New South Wales. So there is no possible way that these fires can be put out no matter the enormous human effort that is going into it."
Australia’s most populous state was paralyzed by “catastrophic” fire conditions Saturday amid soaring temperatures, while one person died as wildfires also ravaged the country’s southeast, officials said.
“Catastrophic fire conditions are as bad as it gets,” New South Wales Rural Fire Services Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons told reporters. "Given we have a landscape with so much active fire burning, you have a recipe for very serious concern and a very dangerous day.”
A fire truck is seen during a bushfire near Bilpin, 90 kilometers (56 miles) northwest of Sydney, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2019. Australia's most populous state of New South Wales declared a seven-day state of emergency Thursday as oppressive conditions fanned around 100 wildfires. (Mick Tsikas/AAP Images via AP)
Areas in western Sydney were forecast to hit 47 degrees Celsius (115 Fahrenheit). Cooler air was expected to move through New South Wales late Saturday, although authorities warned that strong winds could push fires in dangerous new directions.
Two firefighters died Thursday battling blazes southwest of Sydney. Geoffrey Keaton, 32, and Andrew O’Dwyer, 36, were in a truck convoy southwest of Sydney when a tree fell and caused their vehicle to roll off the road.
Firefighters talk with local residents as a fire burns near Mangrove Mountain, north of Sydney, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2019. Hot dry conditions have brought an early start to the fire season. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Authorities confirmed Saturday that one person died and 15 homes were destroyed in South Australia as a wildfire ravaged the Adelaide Hills on Friday, just 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the state capital of Adelaide. Another person was critically injured after fighting to save his home from the fires.
That follows the death of a 24-year-old man in a road crash in South Australia on Friday, which sparked a fire in the area of the Murraylands.
Authorities said 23 firefighters and several police officers have also suffered injuries, as more than 40,000 hectares (98,842 acres) burned across South Australia.
A wallaby hops across a road to flee a fire near Mangrove Mountain, north of Sydney Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2019. Hot dry conditions have brought an early start to the fire season. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
“It is going to be a real scene of devastation, especially for those people in the Adelaide Hills who have been most affected,” South Australia Premier Steven Marshall said. “We know that in addition to the buildings and vehicles lost, there are very significant losses in terms of livestock, animals, crops, vineyards.”
The annual Australian fire season, which peaks during the Southern Hemisphere summer, started early after an unusually warm and dry winter. Around 3 million hectares (7.4 million acres) of land has burned nationwide during a torrid past few months, with nine people killed and more than 800 homes destroyed.
The devastation has put pressure on Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who has received criticism for going on a family vacation in Hawaii during the wildfire crisis. He apologized on Friday for any offense “caused to any of the many Australians affected by the terrible bushfires by my taking leave with family at this time.”
Thick smoke from wildfires shroud the Opera House in Sydney, Australia, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2019. Hot dry conditions have brought an early start to the fire season. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Morrison did cut short his vacation and returned home on Saturday night. He is due to visit the New South Wales Rural Fire Service headquarters on Sunday.
Debate has reignited on whether Morrison’s conservative government has taken enough action on climate change. Australia is the world’s largest exporter of coal and liquefied natural gas.
Fatih Birol, International Energy Agency executive director, believes Australia has missed opportunities to mitigate the impact of coal.
"I find the Australian energy debate far too emotional, far too nervous and far too hot. It is hotter than the climate change itself," he told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
A home stands as smoke from the Grose Valley fire rises in the distance in Bilpin, west of Sydney, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2019. Australia’s most populous state has been paralyzed by “catastrophic” fire conditions Saturday amid soaring temperatures as wildfires also ravaged the country’s southeast. (AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)
Protesters on Thursday camped outside Morrison’s Sydney residence demanding urgent action on climate change.
Morrison, who critics have deemed a climate change skeptic, conceded earlier this month that “climate change along with many other factors” has contributed to the wildfires.
