Australian Wildfires

   As I am sure you already know, Australia is currently experiencing a horrible wildfire season. Australia has a wildfire season every year from December to March, with heat generally peaking in January. This year, however, the blazes started sooner and have already ravaged a massive amount of land mostly on Australia’s eastern coast. 

   The fires are mostly caused by natural occurrences like dry lightning, but some have been deliberately started and 24 people have been caught doing so this season. Australia has also experienced a horrible drought that has made the usual fire season much more dangerous and allowed for fires to easily spread through these dry areas. 

   So far, 27 people including firefighters have died, as well as an estimated 500 million animals. Air quality has also reached hazardous levels in some of Australia’s major cities and many Australians have been evacuated or lost their homes to the fires. With so much of Australia burned, it is also very likely that certain species will undoubtedly face extinction as they and their habitats are destroyed.

   Firefighters have been working diligently to extinguish the fires and will continue their dangerous work until the end of this difficult time. Many relief agencies have been working to aid those affected by these fires and wildlife rehabilitation centers have been working tirelessly to help save affected wildlife. 

You can help Australia by visiting https://www.cbsnews.com/news/australia-fires-how-to-help-victims-evacuees-firefighters-animals-wildfires/ for a list of organizations to donate to in order to help those affected by these fires. 

Much of this information was found on cnn.com

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