Video shows Australian crew sheltering in truck as bushfire rages outside

Dramatic video released by an Australian fire service shows the moment one of its fire trucks was overwhelmed by advancing bush fires.

The video, posted on Twitter by Fire and Rescue New South Wales, shows the terrifying moment that crew members were forced to shelter in their truck as the flames overtook them.

“The crew from Fire and Rescue NSW Station 509 Wyoming recorded this video showing the moment their truck was overrun by the bushfire burning South of Nowra,” reads the tweet.

“The crew was forced to shelter in their truck as the fire front passed through.”

Accompanying footage from inside the vehicle shows the crew driving down a bumpy road, the sky outside a hazy orange and the silhouettes of trees highlighted against a backdrop of raging fire.

The road ahead ahead is barely visible through thick smoke, but then the emergency lights of another vehicle emerge from the gloom.

The camera pans left as flames appear just outside the window, and two firefighters hold a safety blanket to the windows as the fire appears to envelop the vehicle.

With frantic calls audible on the radio, the vehicle continues to advance through the flames in shocking scenes that have been repeated in a number of Australian states.

For more than two months, deadly bush fires have been burning out of control across Australia and engulfing whole towns, exacerbated by strong winds and rising temperatures.

The country relies heavily on its volunteer firefighters, who in some cases have been putting in 16-hour days to help tackle the blazes.

Three volunteer firefighters have so far died battling the blazes.