Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison was awkwardly snubbed by a firefighter as he asked for a handshake in a town that has been ravaged by the devastating bushfires.

Camera crews caught the 51-year-old approaching the despondent fireman, who had lost his home in the New South Wales town of Cobargo – one of the worst-hit areas.

The PM offered his hand but was immediately rejected.

“I don’t really want to shake your hand,” he tells the leader.

Morrison refuses to give up and grabs the fireman’s hand.

“Oh well, it’s nice to see you,” he tells him before the rescue worker quickly withdraws.

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Morrison was later heard telling a fire official that “I’m really sorry” and that “I’m sure he’s just tired”.

“No, no, he's lost a house,” the incident controller responded.

Since the wildfires began, 17 people have been killed with 18 others still missing and more than 1,400 homes have been destroyed.

Temperatures have soared up to 46C with fires seen in every Australian state.

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Morrison has faced criticism from victims during his visit to Cobargo yesterday.

Residents told him he “should be ashamed of himself” for “leaving the country to burn”.

But he responded on Friday saying he understood the emotional response.

“Whether they're angry at me or they're angry at their situation, I know that people are hurting I know that they're raw – I don't take these things personally,” Morrison said in an interview with Melbourne radio station 3AW.

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“I understand that, I understand the emotion, the hurt, the frustration and anger.”

As well as human casualties, an estimated 500million animals have died with many being burnt alive.

A state of emergency has now been declared in New South Wales and Victoria, which gives the government special powers to impose forced evacuations.

New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian said: “We want to make sure we’re taking every precaution to be prepared for what could be a horrible day on Saturday.”

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