Thick smoke hampers Australian defence pilots

Footage taken from the cockpit of an Australian Air Force plane attempting to land at Mallacoota Airport on Saturday showed the intense red glow of the fires raging below.

The C-27J Spartan plane was attempting to land near Mallacoota to assist in evacuation efforts but was prevented from completing its mission by thick smoke from the wildfires.

As many as 4,000 residents and tourists were forced to flee the coastal town in Victoria and shelter on beaches over the weekend as the navy tried to evacuate as many people as possible.

Rain and cooler temperatures were bringing some measure of relief to those communities battling wildfires on Monday.

But the rain was also making it challenging for fire crews to complete strategic burns as they tried to prepare for higher temperatures that have been forecast for later in the week.

The wildfires have so far killed at least 24 people and destroyed about 2,000 homes.