Blazes have raged since Oct. 23 on Australia's east coast. The bush fires are reported to have been spawned by an explosives test conducted by military personnel, and spread to consume hundreds of thousands acres of vegetation, more than 200 homes, and the lives of two (CNN.com).

According to The Climate Council, a non-profit organization independent from the Australian government, the current fires are directly tied to widespread climate change.

ALSO SEE: Neon Tommy's Full Coverage Of The Rim Fires In California

In their report on the relationship between bushfires and climate change, the council advised, "To deny the influence of climate change on extreme fire weather, and not take appropriate action to prepare for these changed conditions, places people and property at unnecessarily high risk."

Officials in the Australian government, including Prime Minister Tony Abbott, have also stated their belief in the link between global climate change and severe weather events such as the dry heat and drought that may spawn wildfires. However, the Abbott administration has denounced cries of causation regarding global warming and the country's most recent fires in particular as "hogwash."

Click here to view a real-time map of Australia's bushfires, supported by Google Crisis Response.

Reach Editor-At-Large Graham Clark here. Follow him on Twitter here.