Wildfires in Australia have burned more than 12 million acres. As the New York Times notes, that’s an area roughly the size of Switzerland, and the fires are expected to get worse. The government has announced the use of military assets, the size of which not seen since World War II, to fight the fires and help with evacuations.
The Australian government has announced a large-scale use of military assets, a deployment not seen since World War II, as fires continue to spreadhttps://t.co/yJ25JPQYf0
— The New York Times (@nytimes) January 4, 2020
The loss of property has topped $1 billion. Twenty-three people have died, but the cost to wildlife has been horrific. The below clip shows a woman using her shirt to rescue a koala.
Half a billion animals are dead by now. Australia is burning. #AustralianBushfire is real. The loss of lives and damage to the property is beyond imagination. It’s devastating. Please pray for Australia ? #AustralianFires #AustraliaOnFire pic.twitter.com/6xQhN9R9x8
— Gunjan Mehta ✨ (@gunjanm_) January 4, 2020
Please watch the BBC summary above, including residents furious with the government response.