Bushfires flare in southern Australia as WWF says fires may have killed 1.25 billion animals and burned over 20 million acres of area, roughly the size of Austria
The catastrophic bushfires have killed at least 26 people, destroyed more than 2,000 homes and scorched some eight million hectares –– an area the size of the island of Ireland.
"Around 1.25 billion animals may have been killed directly or indirectly from fires that have burnt 8.4 million hectares [over 20 million acres] across Australia, equivalent to the whole of the country of Austria," it said.Despite cooler weather and rainfall providing some relief in some bushfire-affected areas this week, almost 150 fires were still burning in worst-hit New South Wales and Victoria, the huge continent's most populated regions.
They have been clearing vegetation and carrying out controlled burns in an effort to protect areas like the coastal town of Eden, where a large bushfire is burning to the south. NSW announced on Thursday it would spend US$680 million on restoring infrastructure in fire-ravaged areas. That comes on top of a separate $1.4 billion national recovery fund earmarked to help devastated communities.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Greg Norman Says 'Stupidity of Humanity' Partly to Blame for Australia FiresGolf legend Greg Norman says the 'stupidity of humanity' is partly to blame for the deadly fires in his home country of Australia.
Read more »
Meet the Dog Helping Save Koalas & Other Wildlife From Australia FiresTom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio are some of the celebrities celebrating Bear the Dog's rescue work in Australia
Read more »
Australia races to contain fires ahead of heat, wind later this weekAustralian firefighters used a break from searing temperatures to strengthen containment lines around huge wildfires as the financial and environmental costs of the crisis mounted
Read more »
How to Help Fight the Australia FiresThough some rain has begun to fall in the regions most affected, officials are warning that some of the raging fires will join together to form a “mega blaze” in the coming days. Here’s how you can get involved
Read more »
Chris Hemsworth Just Pledged $1 Million To Fight The Australia FiresAs more and more stars are chipping in (and asking their followers to do the same), Chris Hemsworth promised to donate $1 million to help Australia.
Read more »
Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal to play charity tennis match for Australia firesTennis stars Serena Williams, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal plan to serve up support for the devastation caused by fires in Australia.
Read more »