The bushfires that have ravaged parts of New South Wales have been burning for the past few months, with seemingly no end in sight for the brave firefighters who are putting their lives on the line every day.
But as these infernos continue to rage, it's tough to put into perspective just how much land has been lost so far.
New South Wales Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons has revealed that bushfires have decimated nearly three million hectares of land.
The world was shocked earlier this year when it was revealed that the Amazon rainforest had been suffering similar devastating fires. About 906,000 hectares of land has been burned from those thousands of bushfires since the year began.
Advert
The Amazon is largely dubbed 'the lungs of the world' because of the amount of carbon dioxide that it sucks up.
But it's alarming to note tat the bushfires in Australia, which have only been burning for a few months, have already burned through more than three times as much land as the Amazon fires, which have been burning all year.
Hundreds of homes and several lives have been lost in New South Wales since the bushfires began. In addition to that, thousands of animals have been 'incinerated' with fears the koala population might never recover.
Advert
NSW RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons told Channel 9 that this start to the bushfire season has been 'unprecedented' and he hasn't seen anything close to resembling this much devastation in all his years.
He added that because of where some of these fires are located, it's incredibly difficult for crews to get in and stop them spreading.
Firefighters around the country will certainly be bracing for horror conditions over the next days.
Advert
Australia could face the hottest day in its history this week, with forecasters warning temperatures could surpass the current record of 50.7C.
Perth, on the west coast of the country, is in the grips of a heatwave with temperatures reaching around 40C, however this heat is expected to spread across the country this week.
Fire warnings have been issued for parts of Western Australia and Queensland and it is feared that soaring temperatures could pose a threat to both people and animals.
Diana Eadie, meteorologist at the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), said it is possible that temperatures could exceed the record set on 2 January 1960 in the outback town of Oodnadatta in South Australia. She also said it was likely the country's highest overall average maximum record would be broken.
Featured Image Credit: Channel 9