On November 12, 2019, the public of Sydney, Australia was warned of catastrophic dangers from wildfire. Since then, 15.6 million acres of the country has burned. The fires have taken a large toll on the people who live there, 24  people have died and over 1,000 homes have been destroyed, and people are evacuating every day.

This has been one of the worst fire seasons Australia has ever seen. The area of land that has been destroyed is much bigger than the fires California experienced  in 2019, and even bigger than the land destroyed in the devastating fires in the Amazon rainforest. Imagine the entire area between Logan and Nephi being completely destroyed by fire, and that’s how much of Australia has been burnt down.

But it isn’t just Australia being affected by these devastating fires. It is possible for the smoke from these fires to spread across the Earth, causing poor air quality for countries across the world. The pollution from the smoke is so bad there, that people are being sent to the hospital each day.

The wildlife on the continent is extraordinary, and many species have been pushed to the brink of extinction. It is estimated that over 1 billion animals have died. If we can’t find a way to put these fires out now, the koalas we think of when we think of Australia along with tons of other species will be gone forever.

Is there a solution to this? The fires have seemed never-ending, and there’s only so much fire fighters can do. Researchers have been looking for a solution, and some indigenous people might have a surprising solution. Their idea is to start small scale fires to clear the debris that would help the large fires spread.

The fires in Australia have been devastating, and although it might seem like it doesn’t have anything to do with us, it could have an impact on us. If you want, there are many places you can donate to to help fight this and save Australia.