Navy Officials Supply 800 Gallons Of Beer To Fire-Hit Town In Australia

The Australian navy has lent a helping hand to Mallacoota, a small coastal town in the state of Victoria which was badly hit by the recent catastrophic bushfires.

A raging fire ravaged the town on New Year’s Eve. The fire claimed houses and cars of the residents and isolated them from the rest of the country by destroying all road connections. The town was in all sorts of trouble, including a beer crisis.

At least the beer crisis is now somewhat tackled with the help of the Australian navy and the Carlton & United Breweries based in Melbourne. A total of 3,000 liters (almost 800 gallons) of beer was loaded onto Royal Australian Navy ship HMAS Choules on Thursday morning and transported to Mallacoota.

The load included 20 kegs of Victoria Bitter and Carlton Draught and 36 slabs of Great Northern Beer and Strongbow Cider, Pedestrian reported. Mallacoota residents feared the town would run out of beer within the following week. However, the emergency supply saved the day.

Carlton & United Breweries CEO Peter Filipovic told CNN that the least they would do is “make sure they could enjoy a beer," considering the ordeal the firefighters and the residents have been through. The company also vowed to contribute 1 million Australian dollars ($686,000) for bushfire disaster relief.

Local residents praised the navy, calling them "heroes without capes" on a Mallacoota Community News Facebook page, while some of them wrote, "God bless the navy."

An Australian Defence Force spokesperson told CNN that the resupply “will positively impact the morale of the community". Further, the official said the beer is not "occupying unnecessary space on the HMAS Choules."

The Australian bushfires started in September and so far 27 fatalities were reported. The fires are said to have destroyed over 4 million hectors of land, as well as at least 381 homes in New South Wales. It killed at least 500 million animals. Mallacoota witnessed the most dramatic fires in the country, prompting at least 4,000 residents and tourists to evacuate the town.