These Horrifying Pictures Show The Deadly Bushfires In Australia
At least 17 people have died and millions of animals have been killed as raging bushfires in Australia have burned over 19,300 square miles.
Raging bushfires across Australia have shown no sign of slowing down, forcing the evacuation of entire towns and shutting down major highways along the way. At least 17 people have died since the bushfire season began in August and millions of animals have been killed across some 19,300 square miles of devastation. For nearby towns and cities, an eerie and toxic cloud of smoke poses an ongoing health threat to residents, forcing many to wear ventilation masks when outdoors. The 2019–2020 Australian bushfire season marks the most destructive and widespread season in the country's history.
These pictures show how Australia has been dealing with the ongoing bushfires in recent days.
Children wear masks as they play in the southern New South Wales town of Bega, where people are camping after being evacuated from nearby sites affected by bushfires, Dec. 31.
A firefighter hoses down trees and flying embers in an effort to secure nearby houses from bushfires near Nowra, Dec. 31.
Horses in a paddock become restless as a bushfire nears Bilpin, Dec. 21.
Rural Fire Service crews fight the Gospers Mountain fire as it burns a structure in Bilpin, Dec. 21.
A kangaroo tries to escape from nearby bushfires at a residential property near the town of Nowra, Dec. 31.
The remains of burnt-out buildings are seen along the main street in the New South Wales town of Cobargo, Dec. 31.
Thick smoke from bushfires fills the air in eastern Gippsland, Jan. 2.
A resident inspects the burn injuries on a cow he put down after a bushfire ravaged his property in Coolagolite, Jan. 1.
Molten metal runs from a burnt-out vehicle at a destroyed property in Sarsfield, Dec. 31.
A Cobargo resident looks at destroyed buildings, Jan. 1.
The remains of burnt-out buildings are seen along the main street in Cobargo, Dec. 31.
A melted sign for the Western Plains Zoo stands among burned bushland on the outskirts of Bilpin, Dec. 29
ABC photographer Matt Roberts reacts to seeing his sister's house destroyed by a bushfire in Quaama, Jan. 1.
Business owners stand in front of their destroyed shop in Cobargo, Jan. 1.
A burnt Christmas decoration lies on the ground in front of a house recently destroyed by bushfires on the outskirts of Bargo, Dec. 21.
Cars line up to leave the town of Batemans Bay to head north, Jan. 2.
People cover their faces in Batemans Bay, Dec. 31.
A smoke haze from bushfires blankets Sydney, Dec. 19.
A volunteer holds a severely burnt brushtail possum rescued from fires near the Blue Mountains, Dec. 29.
Sheep are seen on a fire-damaged property in Sarsfield, Dec. 31.
A hearse transports the coffin of Rural Fire Service volunteer firefighter Geoffrey Keaton during his funeral in Buxton, Jan. 2.
Members of the Horsley Park Rural Fire Brigade in Sydney share a group hug, Dec. 22.
Tributes for volunteers Keaton and Andrew O'Dwyer are seen at Horsley Park Rural Fire Brigade, Dec. 22.
Thank-you cards are seen at Rural Fire Service headquarters in Sydney, Jan. 2.
Rural Fire Service crews engage in property protection near the town of Tahmoor, Dec. 19.
A firefighter sprays foam retardant on a back burn ahead of a fire front in Jerrawangala, Jan. 1.
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Gabriel H. Sanchez is the Senior Photo Essay Editor for BuzzFeed News and is based in New York City.
Contact Gabriel H. Sanchez at gabriel.sanchez@buzzfeed.com.
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