Australia Needs Help Recovering From Fires

For months on end, Australia has been facing the wrath of large bush fires during their hottest months. At least 28 people have been killed so far, with the fires burning across 15.6 million acres of bushes, forests and parks across Australia. 

While people have lost homes, wildlife and so many sacred items, animals have dealt with the most loss thus far. After fires spread on Kangaroo Island, over 30,000 koalas alone have been estimated to have died due to the fires. Totalling over a billion animals across the entire country that have lost their lives. 

While this has been occurring many celebrities and other public figures have made generous donations. For example, singer Pink donated half a million dollars while actor Chris Hemsworth donated a million dollars. Even the average people have found ways to donate and raise money to help the country stop the fires and save lives. An Instagram model has raised over $700k by selling pictures of herself. Though her family disowned her and her Instagram was deactivated, she seemed happy to save the koalas no matter the price she had to pay. 

Not only have the fires affected Australia, but also they have made an impact all the way in New Zealand. Skies showed an orange smoke haze and even changed the sun to a red ball from the thickness of the smoke. 

Every year Australia has a “fire season” where flame action is worsened due to lightning and dry weather, however this year it worsened. Over 200 people have been charged for fire-related offenses since November, including creating campfires and setting off fireworks after a fire ban went out. Climate change has also been blamed as the fire season begins earlier and earlier each year, with worsening drought and heat conditions. 

It is important to donate any amount possible to organizations all over the world to help stop these fires and get people back on their feet. Donate directly to fire departments in Victoria at cfa.vic.gov.au. Donate to the Red Cross in Australia at edcross.org.au. There are also many GoFundMe pages set up by people to save their houses and animals too. Every dollar counts as a step in taking Australians out of devastation from these growing fires.