Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison has issued a public apology after he took a vacation while large portions of the country battled raging bushfires.

According to Reuters, Morrison also cut short his Hawaiian vacation to return to Australia.

Morrison's actions come as a response to public anger, which grew after two volunteer firefighters — who were fathers of young children — were killed in the line of duty.

Deep regrets

"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.

The Prime Minister also told an Australian radio station that the leave and trip had been planned as a replacement for a January family holiday that had to be cancelled because of official trips to Japan and India.

The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Morrison in a Saturday (Dec. 22) night press conference in Sydney saying that "benefit of hindsight we would have made different decisions".

"I get it that people would have been upset to know that I was holidaying with my family while their families were under great stress."

A petition calling for Morrison's sacking has since been started, garnering over 100,000 signatures

Death of two fathers

Reuters reports that devastation wildfires have blazed across three different states, destroying more than 700 homes and nearly 3 million acres of bushland.

According to The Guardian, the two volunteer firefighters died on Thursday (Dec. 19) while fighting to contain fires burning through villages south-west of Sydney.

Geoffrey Keaton, 32, and Andrew O’Dwyer, 36, were travelling in a firetruck when a tree fell into their path, causing the vehicle to roll off the road.

The 2 firefighters killed in a vehicle accident last night are Deputy Captain Geoffrey Keaton 32yrs & Firefighter Andrew O’Dwyer 36yrs, both from Horsley Park Brigade. Our thoughts are with their family, friends & fellow brigade members. #nswrfs pic.twitter.com/p3Y8zX3hBj

— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) December 19, 2019

The two men died on the scene.

A former PM fighting fires

Meanwhile, Australia's former Prime Minister Tony Abbott was spotted in volunteer firefighter gear battling fires in the south of Sydney according to the Daily Mail.

A Dec. 22 photo posted on Facebook by the New South Wales Police Force's Traffic and Highway Patrol Command showed Abbott posing with a police officer and was accompanied by a caption that simple read: "#workingtogether".

The Daily Mail reports that earlier in the week, photos of Abbott began to circulate on social media after he was spotted by members of the public helping the efforts against the fires which have destroyed the lives of many.

The photos were accompanied by praise and even a few calls for Abbott to be back in power — a remarkable turnaround of sorts for the retired politician who was deeply unpopular with the Australian public throughout his term.

Top image from Scott Morrison's and Traffic and High Patrol Command - NSW Police Force's Facebook page