Destruction and desperation are among the stirring sights captured in photos from Australia where one of the worst bushfire seasons on record continues to ravage wide swaths of the continent, taking homes, buildings and dozens of human lives with it.

The wildfires, fueled by drought and record high temperatures, have consumed an area twice the size of the U.S. state of Maryland, according to this weeks latest figures. Within that destruction, 2,000 homes have been lost and 25 people killed. The number of animals killed is estimated as more than one billion.

Here are a few images capturing the ongoing struggle and rescue efforts.