Three people caught in bushfires in Australia’s southeast are feared dead, authorities said on Tuesday, as huge fire fronts cause widespread devastation and forced thousands of holidaymakers to flee to beaches to escape the flames.

New South Wales Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said there were preliminary reports of three potential fatalities in small towns in the state of New South Wales.

“We have three people unaccounted for and the potential for three potential fatalities as a result of the fire on the south coast,” Fitzsimmons told media.

A further four people are unaccounted for in the state of Victoria, the site of some of the fiercest recent fires, although authorities have not provided further information.

There have been nine confirmed casualties this bushfire season, which includes the death of a volunteer firefighter on Monday who was killed after his truck was blown over by strong winds.