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Firefighters have managed to save more than 21,000 homes in New South Wales, according to the Rural Fire Service.

At least 25 people have lost their lives and more than 2,000 homes have been destroyed across the country, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Monday. Over 12 million acres have burned in Australia since the start of the fire season.

The wildlife that has survived, by either fleeing or going underground, will face immense difficulties once they return to their natural habitat, according to Professor Dickman.

The resources they once lived off of will no longer be there to support them, he said.

New South Wales has been hit especially hard. As of 9 p.m. local time Wednesday, there were 127 bush and grass fires burning there, with 56 still not contained, according to the Rural Fire Service.

\"PHOTO:Firefighters
Rick Rycroft/AP
PHOTO:Firefighters manage a controlled burn near Tomerong, Australia, Jan. 8, 2020, in an effort to contain a larger fire nearby.
>

Spotty rain hit the region earlier this week, though it didn't provide the relief many hoped for.

Inspector Ben Shepherd with New South Wales Rural Fire Service said the rain actually hampered firefighters' efforts to back burn, an essential process in putting out wildfires.

A backfire is intentionally set in front of a wildfire and is used to prevent the fire from spreading, according to the International Association of Fire and Rescue Services. The backfires consume some of the combustible material and creates a belt that the wildfire can not easily penetrate, according to the association.

The rain hinders the fuels and makes it harder, if not impossible, to begin back-burning, Shepherd said.

Temperatures are expected to rise this weekend and winds will increase, helping fuel the flames.

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