33 Heartbreaking Images Of The Destruction Caused By Australia's Wildfires

1. More than 3,000 firefighters in Australia are battling the bushfires raging across New South Wales.

Stringer / Reuters

2. The wildfires stretch along a nearly 1,000-mile line in New South Wales...

Lisa Maree Williams / Getty Images

3. From the far north of the state south of Brisbane to east of Canberra, the country's federal capital.

Lisa Maree Williams / Getty Images

4. The fires now have burned 310,859 acres — an area greater than the size of Los Angeles.

Lisa Maree Williams / Getty Images

5. In total, 59 fires are still burning across the state...

Watch this time-lapse video of the bushfires spreading in New South Wales.

6. ...19 of which are not contained, reports BBC News.

AP Photo/New South Wales Rural Fire Service

7. Hundreds more firefighters have been deployed to the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, to fight the blaze alongside 1,000 already there...

Stringer / Reuters

8. ...making it one of the largest firefighting contingents ever assembled in Australia's history.

Stringer / Reuters

9. The Blue Mountains, whose foothills extend down to western Sydney suburbs, are populated with a mix of farmers, small business owners, and white-collar commuters.

Lisa Maree Williams / Getty Images

10. The beautiful hills and dense eucalyptus forests are a popular destination spot.

Lisa Maree Williams / Getty Images

11. But the thick forest and rough terrain makes it difficult for firefighters.

David Gray / Reuters

12. The fires have been burning in Australia since Thursday, with a state of emergency declared over the weekend.

David Gray / Reuters

13. The state of emergency enables the New South Wales government to order evacuations.

David Gray / Reuters

14. Authorities can carry out measures such as cutting off water, power, and gas and ordering mandatory evacuations of areas at risk.

Lisa Maree Williams / Getty Images

15. New South Wales hopes to avoid anything like the 2009 "Black Saturday" fires in Victoria state that killed 173 people...

Lisa Maree Williams / Getty Images

16. ...and caused billions of dollars worth of damage.

David Gray / Reuters

17. Residents in dangerous areas have been evacuated.

GREG WOOD/AFP / Getty Images

18. Hundreds of nursing home residents were evacuated late on Tuesday...

Lisa Maree Williams / Getty Images

19. ...and all schools in the area are closed.

GREG WOOD/AFP / Getty Images

20. Rain fell across Australia on Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning...

WILLIAM WEST/AFP / Getty Images

21. ...giving thousands of firefighters a reprieve in fighting the blazes.

David Gray / Reuters

22. High temperatures up to 86 degrees Fahrenheit and strong winds of up to 60 mph have been forecast for Wednesday.

23. The hot conditions predicted for Wednesday have many worried.

David Gray / Reuters

The remains of a possum can be seen on the edge of a water tank after a bushfire passed through the area in the Blue Mountains suburb of Winmalee, west of Sydney.

24. Firefighters in Australia have been back-burning, which is a controlled form of burning.

WILLIAM WEST/AFP / Getty Images

25. Back-burning is used as a way to manipulate where the fire travels, and is aimed at depriving it of fuel.

WILLIAM WEST/AFP / Getty Images

26. On Tuesday fire crews deliberately joined two of the most worrying fires.

WILLIAM WEST/AFP / Getty Images

27. This will hopefully prevent them from forming a third, more massive blaze.

28. The firefighters are backed by 95 helicopters in their back-burning efforts.

AP Photo/New South Wales Rural Fire Service

29. Dry winds gusting up to 48 mph forced water-bombing helicopters to suspend operations.

GREG WOOD/AFP / Getty Images

30. The light rain that was a reprieve for some hampered efforts to back-burn.

Lisa Maree Williams / Getty Images

31. Further north, an alert has been issued for a fire on the outskirts of Newcastle, with residents in Minmi told to leave.

Lisa Maree Williams / Getty Images

32. So far the fires in New South Wales have destroyed more than 200 homes.

GREG WOOD/AFP / Getty Images

33. One man has died, possibly of a heart attack, while defending his home.

Lisa Maree Williams / Getty Images

Related: 50 Surreal Images From Sydney’s Bushfire Crisis

http://www.buzzfeed.com/simoncrerar/surreal-images-from-nsw-bushfire-crisis

1. More than 3,000 firefighters in Australia are battling the bushfires raging across New South Wales.

2. The wildfires stretch along a nearly 1,000-mile line in New South Wales...

3. From the far north of the state south of Brisbane to east of Canberra, the country's federal capital.

4. The fires now have burned 310,859 acres — an area greater than the size of Los Angeles.

5. In total, 59 fires are still burning across the state...

6. ...19 of which are not contained, reports BBC News.

7. Hundreds more firefighters have been deployed to the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, to fight the blaze alongside 1,000 already there...

8. ...making it one of the largest firefighting contingents ever assembled in Australia's history.

9. The Blue Mountains, whose foothills extend down to western Sydney suburbs, are populated with a mix of farmers, small business owners, and white-collar commuters.

10. The beautiful hills and dense eucalyptus forests are a popular destination spot.

11. But the thick forest and rough terrain makes it difficult for firefighters.

12. The fires have been burning in Australia since Thursday, with a state of emergency declared over the weekend.

13. The state of emergency enables the New South Wales government to order evacuations.

14. Authorities can carry out measures such as cutting off water, power, and gas and ordering mandatory evacuations of areas at risk.

15. New South Wales hopes to avoid anything like the 2009 "Black Saturday" fires in Victoria state that killed 173 people...

16. ...and caused billions of dollars worth of damage.

17. Residents in dangerous areas have been evacuated.

18. Hundreds of nursing home residents were evacuated late on Tuesday...

19. ...and all schools in the area are closed.

20. Rain fell across Australia on Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning...

21. ...giving thousands of firefighters a reprieve in fighting the blazes.

22. High temperatures up to 86 degrees Fahrenheit and strong winds of up to 60 mph have been forecast for Wednesday.

23. The hot conditions predicted for Wednesday have many worried.

24. Firefighters in Australia have been back-burning, which is a controlled form of burning.

25. Back-burning is used as a way to manipulate where the fire travels, and is aimed at depriving it of fuel.

26. On Tuesday fire crews deliberately joined two of the most worrying fires.

27. This will hopefully prevent them from forming a third, more massive blaze.

28. The firefighters are backed by 95 helicopters in their back-burning efforts.

29. Dry winds gusting up to 48 mph forced water-bombing helicopters to suspend operations.

30. The light rain that was a reprieve for some hampered efforts to back-burn.

31. Further north, an alert has been issued for a fire on the outskirts of Newcastle, with residents in Minmi told to leave.

32. So far the fires in New South Wales have destroyed more than 200 homes.

33. One man has died, possibly of a heart attack, while defending his home.

Related: 50 Surreal Images From Sydney’s Bushfire Crisis

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