As of Christmas Eve,789 homes had been confirmed as lost in NSW,86 in South Australia and 40 in Queensland. However,those figures do not include the latest destruction from fires that have swept across in southern NSW and eastern Victoria.
Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons told theToday show another 382 homes had been destroyed along the NSW South Coast,with more losses to come from fires that could continue to burn for weeks.
"There are still a lot of the firegrounds that need to be surveyed and validated from the ground,"he said.
Hundreds of homes were lost in the Batemans Bay area,including 40 destroyed in Malua Bay and 15 in Rosedale. About 89 properties were destroyed in Conjola. Further south,the towns of Quaama and Cobargo west of Bermagui were decimated.
Authorities in Victoria said fires that burnt through 766,000 hectares have destroyed at least 60 homes across East Gippsland. Property losses include 24 at Buchan,19 at Sarsfield,10 at Mallacoota and 15 at Cudgewa,but more are expected to be confirmed in coming days.
The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) says 4,299 claims worth $297 million have been lodged so far this fire season but more were on the way as assessors moved in to the latest fire-affected zones.
ICA spokesman Campbell Fuller said many additional claims would come from Victoria and NSW as householders,primary producers and business owners regained access to their properties.