'Firenado' rages across Queensland bush, Sydney shrouded in toxic smoke

The 'firenado' is one of more than 100 fires currently blazing across eastern Australia.

Aerial footage captured a "firenado" that formed on Saturday in the Bundamba suburb of Ipswich, Queensland, shows what is one of the more than 100 fires currently raging across eastern Australia.

Firefights are racing against the clock battling the bushfires this weekend — with forecasts predicting a week of soaring temperatures.

Fire in Queensland, where the "firenado" was recorded, is spreadly rapidly across dry grassland, threatening homes.

Queensland state authorities have issued an emergency warning to residents.

Flames from scattered bushfires are pictured on the horizon on December 04, 2019 in Katoomba, Australia. It is estimated that 20 per cent of the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area has been impacted as bushfires continue across New South Wales. Photo / Getty Images

In New South Wales, a "megafire" is still burning out of control north of Sydney and it could take weeks to put out.

Temperatures have soared past 40C and Sydney has been shrouded in toxic smoke for weeks, which has turned the sky orange.

Fires are currently raging across New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania.

New South Wales Fire chief Rob Rogers told ABC: 'We cannot stop these fires, they will just keep burning until conditions ease and then we'll try to do what we can to contain them.

"These will take many weeks to put out – and only when we get good rain," he added.

The cause and the effect..The massive #NSW fires are in some cases just too big to put out at the moment. As you can see here they're pumping out vast amounts of smoke which is filling the air, turning the sky orange & even appearing like significant rain on our radars. #nswfires pic.twitter.com/AMcssFIoEq

— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) December 6, 2019

I’m on the ferry to Manly. This is the view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House with the haze from the nearby fires. pic.twitter.com/KVTeyMZYLY

— Coralie Alison (@CoralieAlison) December 6, 2019