Many firefighters will by now be exhausted, having been on the front line of Australia’s bushfire crisis for weeks or months.

This bushfire season has been unrelenting, and the hottest months of summer may still lie ahead.

In part, the toll is physical. The flames are high, they are intense, and they move fast. It’s hard to breathe because the air is so hot.

At the same time, first responders have witnessed widespread devastation — to land and livelihoods, to people and animals.