At least 26 dead, 17 million acres burned as Australian wildfires continue to burn

NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA (KUSI) – Devatating wildfires in Australia continue to burn, with reports showing more than 17 million acres of land burned.

Australian authorities confirmed at least 26 people have died.

There are at least 134 active fires burning, and it appears dry conditions are the biggest factor.

Assistance from around the world are helping in the fight, but crews are still struggling to contain the blazes.

Additionally, while there is no clear estimate on how many animals have died due to the wildfires, experts put estimates at up to one billion.

This estimate encompasses different species, from livestock to insects that have been touched by the fires.

There’s no way to chart which populations were hit the hardest, but statistics on some of the different animals are starting to emerge.