The New South Wales Rural Fire Service (RFS) stated it has not booted Paul Parker, a man who swore at Prime Minister Scott Morrison, denying reports about the firefighter being "sacked" by his brigade.
"The NSW RFS is aware of reports concerning the status of volunteer member Paul Parker from the Nelligen area. We can confirm Paul remains a member of the NSW RFS and has not been dismissed", the service said in an official tweet.
Today we are all Paul Parker from Nelligan. #AustraliaFires#auspol#AustraliaBushfires#bushfirecrisispic.twitter.com/Dvq8ZaFQa9
The news about his sacking has resulted in a massive backlash and the hashtag #IstandwithPaulParker is trending in Australia on Monday.
The prime minister, however, said the firefighter was "incredibly exhausted" at the moment, stressing that Parker should not be dismissed.
"But the RFS have confirmed he wasn't, and I'm pleased about that", he added.
Deadly blazes amid extreme heat have been ravaging Australia since the summer, killing at least 33 people and around 1 billion animals, per media reports. Vast parts of the country were damaged by the bushfires, with Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland still in peril.