The photos that sum up Australia’s horrific, unprecedented bushfire crisis

Australia has been on fire for months now and as our bushfire crisis rages on, nothing shows the horror more poignantly than pictures. Warning: Graphic content.

Exhausted firefighters are facing at least two more months on the frontline before our horrific and unprecedented bushfire season shows any sign of letting up.

As of early 2020, the catastrophic season has claimed 25 lives and burnt through millions upon millions of hectares.

Thousands of homes have been lost and authorities estimate at least half a billion animals — whether native Australian or livestock relied on by farmers — have been killed in the fires.

Most of the nation’s cities and towns are also, or have been, blanketed in thick, hazardous bushfire smoke.

But words and statistics aside, nothing explains the horror locals and firefighters are dealing more succinctly than pictures.

A warning, some of the following photos are confronting and graphic.

A waterbombing helicopter in East Gippsland on New Year’s Eve. Picture: Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning

A helicopter confronted by a huge plume of bushfire smoke in the New Year’s Eve East Gippsland fires. Picture: Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning

A fire truck dwarfed by a fire in East Gippsland as a waterbombing helicopter helps. Picture: Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning

From above — fireys respond to a blaze in East Gippsland on New Year’s Eve. Picture: Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning

A juvenile kangaroo tragically caught on a fence trying to escape the devastating Cudlee Creek fire in South Australia. Locals Terry Reardon and Joan Gibbs managed to save their Fox Creek Rd property although the entire area around was burnt, killing hundreds of native animals. Picture: Brad Fleet

A helicopter drops fire retardant to protect a property in Balmoral, 150km southwest of Sydney on December 19. Picture: Peter Parks/AFP

Burnt trees and debris cover the road after a fire ripped across the Monaro Highway in East Gippsland, Victoria on January 5. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

A local shelters near a wharf in Mallacoota, Victoria, where horrific bushfires turned the sky blood red. Picture: Twitter/Aileen Brown@ail_brown

In a heartbreaking moment, Steve Shipton was forced to shoot an injured calf in his paddock on New Year’s Day after a bushfire tore through Coolagolite in country NSW. Picture: Sean Davey/AAP

Mr Shipton inspecting the burns on the calf he put down. Picture: Sean Davey/AAP

A number of Mr Shipton's cows lay dead after a New Year’s Eve bushfire killed them. Picture: Sean Davey/AAP

A blood-red sky as smoke from a fire in the Snowy Valley, on the outskirts of Cooma, blanketed the region. Picture: Saeed Khan/AFP

An emotional Norm Nankervis, a farmer in the country town of Cudgewa, was forced to shoot his $1500 pregnant heifer after she was injured in fires. Picture: Jason Edwards

A composite of the Southern Ocean Lodge before and after bushfire destroyed it. The luxury holiday accommodation, on South Australia’s Kangaroo Island, was gutted by fire on January 3. Picture: AAP/7 News

Live stock and native wildlife were also killed in the Kangaroo Island fire when the blaze burnt along the Playford Highway. Picture: Emma Brasier/AAP

A kangaroo killed on Kangaroo Island. It’s estimated half a billion native animals have been killed so far. Picture: Emma Brasier/AAP

A home destroyed on Kangaroo Island, where out-of-control fires killed a father and son. Picture; Emma Brasier/AAP

Aerial images of the Kangaroo Island fire still burning on January 5. Picture: CFS

Guzzle, a distressed male koala, with cream on his burnt nose after he was caught up in the Mallacoota fires over New Year’s Eve. Guzzle was one of the lucky ones to survive. Picture: David Caird

Evie, one, struggles to breathe as her mum Laura Langmead tries to put a breathing mask over her daughter’s face after thick smoke from the Mallacoota fires blanketed the town. Picture: David Caird

A water bomber, dwarfed by bushfire smoke, drops water on a large blaze burning in Bargo, southwest of Sydney. The fire, which burned over December 19 last year, destroyed homes. Picture: Peter Parks/AFP

Fire and Rescue workers race to move their truck as a wild bushfire prepares to jump the road on the outskirts of the town of Bilpin, NSW. Picture: David Gray/Getty

One of the homes destroyed by a bushfire burning on the outskirts of Bargo. A melted kid’s bicycle sits out the front of the smouldering house. Picture: David Gray/Getty Images

Heartbroken residents hug in the main street of Cobargo. The NSW country town was one of the worst hit on New Year’s Eve after a firestorm swept through the area. Picture: Stuart McEvoy/The Australian.

A firey in front of a blaze in Balmoral, southwest of Sydney. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

A bandaged koala gets ready to be fed after being caught up in the devastating Mallacoota bushfires. Picture: Zoos Victoria.

Finn Burns, one of the many kids to flee the Mallacoota fires via water. The terrifying photo went global.

Images taken along the Great Alpine Road in and around Sarsfield, Victoria. Picture: Jason Edwards

Another aerial image showing the devastation around Sarsfield, Victoria. Picture: Jason Edwards

A house and car gutted by fire after a catastrophic blaze ripped through the Southern Highlands village of Balmoral on December 23. Picture: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Adelaide Koala Rescue helped dozens of injured koalas. Picture: Jane Brister

Guzzle drinks water after being caught up in the Mallacoota fires. Picture: David Caird

Thankful locals supporting Victoria’s Country Fire Authority. Picture: David Caird

Bilpin was hit hard by bushfires after a southerly change pushed the blaze onto the country NSW village on December 29. Picture: David Gray/Getty Images

An ominous smoke cloud moving over the NSW coastal town of Batemans Bay. Picture: Paul Wicke

A burnt out building on what used to be the quaint, historic, main street of Cobargo. Picture: Sean Davey/AFP

Firefighters struggle as strong winds blow embers into their faces near Nowra, two hours south of Sydney. Picture: Saeed Khan/AFP

A firey hosing down trees and flying embers in an effort to secure nearby houses from bushfires near Nowra. Picture: Saeed Khan/AFP

A horse attempting to flee as a bushfire ravaged Nowra, NSW on New year’s Eve. Picture: Saeed Khan/AFP

A burnt kangaroo, killed after fires swept through East Gippsland in Victoria on December 31. Picture: James Ross/AAP

A destroyed home — with the stairs and airconditioning unit visible among the rubble. Picture: James Ross/AAP

Hundreds spent their New Year’s Eve on Bermagui football oval, on NSW’s south coast, as bushfires ravaged the region. Picture: Stuart McEvoy/The Australian.

Firefighters hose down trees as they battle against bushfires near Nowra. Picture: Saeed Khan/AFP

A police officer prepares to flee his own roadblock on the Princes Highway near Sussex Inlet after fires whipped up the threat on New Year’s Eve. Picture: Sam Mooy/Getty Images

Apocalyptic scenes as fires rage near Bairnsdale in Victoria's East Gippsland region. Picture: AFP

A plane helping with the firefighting effort at Batemans Bay. Picture Ben Eyles

The blood-red sky in Mallacoota as bushfires destroyed the coastal Victorian town. Picture: @brendanh_au

The smoke from Batemans Bay’s bushfire turned the sky black.

Burning embers glow on the ground as firefighters battle the bushfires around Nowra on New Year’s Eve. Picture: Saeed Khan/AFP

Only bricks remain at a family’s Lake Conjola home in NSW after fires ravaged the community on New Year’s Eve. Picture: Peter Parks/AFP

Pippa Miller, 35, waits anxiously after being evacuated from Lake Conjola to nearby Ulladalla. She lost her home to fire. Picture: David Swift.

A firefighter quickly tries to extinguish trees and flying embers in an effort to secure nearby houses from bushfires in Nowra. Picture: Saeed Khan/AFP

A firey spending his New Year’s Eve fighting bushfires near Nowra. Picture: Saeed Khan/AFP

Bushfires between the towns of Orbost and Lakes Entrance in East Gippsland on January 2. The HMAS Choules docked outside of Mallacoota early that morning to evacuate thousands of people stranded in the remote coastal town Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

Cars line up to leave the town of Batemans Bay and to take advantage of the brief window of the road being open after bushfires cut off the coastal town. Picture: Peter Parks/AFP

A bushfire burning between the townships of Bemm River and Cann River in East Gippsland. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

An alpaca from a NSW farm that managed to survive the bushfires. Picture: Grant Crapp

A horse with burns on its face also managed to survive the fires. Picture: Grant Crapp

A firefighter among flying embers trying to hose down trees. Picture: Saeed Khan/AFP

A firefighter spraying foam retardant on a backburn ahead of the fire front hitting the country town of Jerrawangala in NSW on New year’s Day. Picture: Peter Parks/AFP

A van and a bus completely destroyed by the Lake Conjola fire. Picture: Peter Parks/AFP

Local resident Dave Iredale walks among ash from bushfires washed up on a beach in Merimbula, on NSW’s far south coast. Picture: Saeed Khan/AFP

Small spot fires continue to burn in the bush with one seen here burning in early January between Orbost and Cann River along the Princes Highway. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

A woman from Bruthen in the East Gippsland region, walks down her street under a dark red sky. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

Burnt farming machinery after the Kangaroo Valley property was destroyed by fire on January 5. Picture: Peter Parks/AFP

A ute destroyed by fire in Kangaroo Valley on one of the worst bushfire days to hit Australia. Picture: Peter Parks/AFP

A cow in front of completely burnt paddocks after bushfires hit Adaminaby. Picture: Saeed Khan/AFP

Residents look on as flames burn through bush at Lake Tabourie in NSW. Picture: Brett Hemmings/Getty Images

Prime Minister Scott Morrison visits a destroyed wildflower farm in Sarsfield, Victoria, an area devastated by fires. Picture: James Ross/AFP

People being evacuated onto a Black Hawk helicopter at the Omeo showgrounds in Victoria. Picture: Nicole Dorrett/AFP

Members of the Australian Defence Force in Townsville departing by Chinook to assist with the bushfires down south. Picture: Alix Sweeney

A red sky in Eurobodalla on January 4. Picture: Brett Hemmings/Getty Images

Tony Nolan, the president of Kangaroo Island’s football club, poses in front of the destroyed community sports club. Picture: Matt Loxton

Cattle in a field under a red sky on the outskirts of Bega, in the south of NSW. Residents were allowed to return home on January 6 after huge bushfires surrounded the region. Picture: Saeed Khan/AFP

A dead cow that died in the bushfires on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. Picture: Matt Loxton

The HMAS Choules sailing off the coast of Mallacoota, Victoria after bushfires devastated the town and cut it off from the rest of the country. Picture: Helen Frank/AFP

The Australia flag flies under red skies from the fires on January 4 in East Gippsland. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

The Post Office in Bruthen, in the East Gippsland region. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning crew get into their vehicle to respond to a call on January 4. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

HMAS Choules arrives at Hastings Port with over 1000 evacuees from Mallacoota. Picture: Ian Currie

Giraffes seen at Mogo Zoo on the NSW south coast during the bushfires. Picture: Nine News