Warning: Graphic Content
Footage has emerged showing the devastating consequences of the bushfires that continue to rage across Australia, with hundreds of burnt animals lining the roads of one town.
The burnt bodies of koalas, kangaroos and sheep were found alongside the main road in Batlow, New South Wales, one of the towns worst hit by the weekend’s fires.
The haunting sight was captured on camera earlier today, as people returned to the small rural town after evacuating the area on Saturday night.
Warning: Distressing Content
At least 24 people have died in the fires since they began in September, with more than 100 fires continuing to burn across the states of New South Wales and Victoria alone.
Rural towns such as Batlow have suffered some of the worst damage, with this video showing the true extent of the damage caused.
Originally posted to Facebook by The ‘new’ Batlow Hotel, the video shows sheep carcasses piled up as someone drives down the deserted Batlow road, the main road in and out of the town.
Just hours earlier, the sheep had attempted to break down fences to flee for their lives but their efforts tragically failed.
Authorities fear dozens of homes could have been lost over the weekend in the small community of just over 1,000 people, where 47-year-old David Harrison died while trying to protect his friend’s home.
Mr Harrison died of a heart attack after returning to a car to refill water in an effort to put out the fire, with his brother Peter telling 9News David would ‘do anything for anyone’.
He had driven to Batlow from his home in Goulburn to visit his friend Geoff and determined to stay and help him fight the fire, despite calls to evacuate the town.
Authorities had warned conditions would only worsen over the weekend, with the Bureau of Meteorology saying conditions would deteriorate rapidly as strong winds and smoke plumes from the fires trigger dry lightning storms and fire tornadoes.
So far, approximately 1,500 homes have been lost to the fires, which have destroyed over 5.25 million hectares (13 million acres) of land since they began.
A devastating estimate also suggests almost half a billion native Australian animals have died as a result of the fires, something made even more heartbreaking while watching the above video.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been heavily criticised for his lack of action throughout this crisis, first jetting off to Hawaii for a holiday only to return and fail to provide sufficient support or even answers to those affected by the fires.
One firefighter’s anger towards the prime minister, where he told Morrison to ‘go and get fucked‘, reflected much of the anger many Australians and others from around the globe are feeling about the situation.
Yesterday, Morrison called up around 3,000 army reservists to help battle the fires, saying the disaster had ‘escalate[d] to an entirely new level’ – but for many, it was already too little too late.
Our thoughts are with all those affected by these devastating fires.
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A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).