Australia fires: Pictures from the deadly wildfires
Record-breaking high temperatures and severe drought conditions in Australia combine for a dangerous recipe — a mixture that has exploded into one of the worst fire seasons in recent memory.
At least 25 people have been killed and more than 63,000 square miles burned since the fires began in September 2019.
A satellite image of Batemans Bay from December 31, 2019 shows smoke and fire from wild bushfires in New South Wales in southeastern Australia.
Smoky skies
Nancy Allen and Brian Allen stand outside their home in Nowra, New South Wales, Australia. High winds have filled the air with smoke and ash.
Wall of flames
A raging fire burns trees near Mount Tomah in New South Wales on December 15, 2019.
A drink of water
A firefighter offers a koala a drink of water while battling bushfires in Cudlee Creek near Australia's southern coast.
Smoke clouds in western Sydney
A boy rides his bike as a fire at Voyager Point in western Sydney sends smoke high into the air.
Red skies
During the day, the skies turn a dark, ominous red in Mallacoota, a small town in the East Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. About 4,000 residents fled to the sea as the flames advanced on December 30, 2019.
Bairnsdale on fire
Flames burn through Bairnsdale in the East Gippsland region of Victoria. Bairnsdale is 175 miles east of Melbourne.
Evacuations by sea
The Australian Department of Defense helps families with school-aged children evacuate by boat from Mallacoota.
Landing a plane close to the fires
A plane carrying fire-and-rescue crews attempts to land at Merimbula Airfield in New South Wales. The glow of flames illuminates the flight deck.
A rescued koala
Damian Campbell-Davys, a water tank operator, rescues a koala while helping put out flames near Nerriga, New South Wales. He calls the koala "Tinny Arse." Millions of animals are believed to have died in the fires.
Evacuations by air
Families walk toward an Australian Department of Defense helicopter to evacuate from Mallacoota airport. Many wear protective headphones to block out loud noise from the helicopters.
Wedged between fire and sea
Residents of Lake Tabourie, a small village on the coast in New South Wales, watch as flames burn eastward through bush toward the beach.
A rescued possum
Wildlife rescue volunteer Tracy Burgess holds a severely burned brushtail possum found near Australia's Blue Mountains.
Red Christmas
These reindeer decorations sit near a destroyed house in Cobargo, New South Wales.
A rescued kangaroo
Wildlife rescue volunteer Tracy Dodd carries a kangaroo with burnt feet pads. This kangaroo was also rescued from bushfires near Australia's Blue Mountains.
Even the firefighters have to evacuate
Firefighters drive through flames to evacuate from Jenolan Caves, New South Wales, when the flames became too large to fight on the ground.
Burning gum tree
A burning gum tree is felled to prevent it from crushing a car in Corbago, New South Wales.
Bairnsdale, from above
This aerial view shows the aftermath of bushfires that burned through Bairnsdale.
Carried to safety
An Australian Army soldier carries an evacuee's dog onto a helicopter before it takes off from Omeo in Victoria, Australia.
Climate emergency
Graffiti on a bridge in Bairnsdale reads "Climate emergency."
East Gippsland skies
Dense smoke from a fire the size of Manhattan turns the sky red in the small town of Bruthen in Victoria, Australia.
For evacuees, it's personal
An evacuee holds a sign as she arrives at a relief center in Somerville, Australia.
Kangaroo Island
A burned-out car and trailer sit on the side of the road after a bushfire on Kangaroo Island, a small island off of South Australia in the Great Australian Bight.
Sarsfield in flames
Fire crews put out spot fires Sarsfield, Victoria. Fire destroyed homes and trees in the city.
After the fire
A chimney and some rubble are all that remain of this Sarsfield home.
Fighting fire from the air
Residents capture the moment on their mobile phones as firefighters drop fire retardant on the smoldering Voyager Point in western Sydney.
Looking for safe shelter
Typically, Berrara Beach would be bustling with holiday travelers during the Australian summer, but with brushfires spreading in the area, the only ones outside in this resort town are the kangaroos looking for a safe place to hide.
Helping families evacuate
Navy crews prepare temporary beds for evacuees who will soon board their ship to escape the fires on Australia's southeastern coast.
Navy ships sail to safety
The HMAS Choules evacuates residents from the coast of Victoria and transports them to safety in Melbourne.
An ongoing battle
A firefighter tackles a bushfire near Nowra, 100 miles south of Sydney in New South Wales.
Preparing to evacuate
Lieutenant Declan Michell briefs evacuees as they prepare to board the HMAS Choules in Victoria, Australia.
A smoky sunset
The smoke from the bushfires is so thick in Sydney, it obscures the sun setting above the Sydney Opera House.
Managing hot spots
Fire and rescue crews work to put out a smoldering tree in Bundanoon in New South Wales.
Melted metal
The fire that burned through Wingello, New South Wales was so hot, it completely melted the rims of a car parked in its path.
An obstructed view
Seagulls fly at the edge of Lake Burley Griffin in Australia's capital, Canberra. Typically, you would see the Parliament House just on the other side of the lake, but it is obscured by thick smoke.
Wood chips burning
A military helicopter flies above a burning wood-chip mill in Eden, New South Wales.