The wildfires in Australia have been burning since late July. A total of 17.9 million acres of land has been obliterated by the wildfires. Climate change is cited as one of the reasons for the wildfires; Australia’s desert biome makes it easy for the fires to spread across the nation. Many of the blazes occur due to natural causes such as, lighting, dry, and hot weather. Unfortunately, humans are also to blame for the cause of these fires. 24 people have been charged by the New South Wales (NSW) police for intentionally starting bushfires. 

About 28 people have died and over 3,000 homes have been burned to the ground. The fires are located in NSW and all of the Australian States. The fires have affected two major cities: Melbourne and Sydney. The thick smoke covered the city causing its air quality to reach 11 times past the “hazardous” level. 

There are over 2,000 firefighters just in NSW working to stop the fires from spreading. Military reinforcement has also been called to help evacuate people, search and rescue, and also clean up debris. In the beginning of January, Victoria and NSW declared a state of emergency as long as Queensland however, they declared a state of emergency in November. 

Organizations such as the Salvation Army Australia, Red Cross Australia, and NSW Rural Fire Service are all available for people to donate to to help the people affected by the fires. Wildlife restoration organizations like WIRES, the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, and Currumbin Wildlife Hospital are also open for donations to rehabilitate Australia’s animal population.  There are many ways to help Australia get relief other than these organizations.