WATCH: Bushfires turn entire sky orange in eerie video from Aussie military cockpit

Australian Air Force Air Vice-Marshal Joe Iervasi has shared terrifying footage showing the extreme flying conditions his pilots must endure in order to help rescue residents from the ongoing severe bushfires.

In addition to water bombings to help beat back the fires which have ravaged vast swathes of Australia, the country’s air force is also braving the heat and smoke to evacuate desperate residents from the inferno. 

Iervasi shared footage from a Royal Australia Air Force cockpit during a rescue mission on Saturday, January 4, to save those stranded and surrounded by bushfires in Mallacoota, Victoria. 

"Challenging flying," he tweeted in response to one shocked Twitter user, who was not alone in expressing their awe at the extraordinary efforts of the military and emergency services amid the otherworldly conditions.

Others praised the pilots for essentially flying blind through the orange haze: “Class 1 Instrument Rating required there.”

The Australian navy already evacuated around 1,000 tourists and residents from the scorched coastal town of Mallacoota, but the Air Force took care of priority evacuees such as children, the sick, and the elderly. 

Some 18 people have died across Australia so far during this fire season, while Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews declared an official state of disaster, warning those who had yet to evacuate “we cannot guarantee your safety.”

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