mas24 Loc: Southern CA

Being from California, I certainly know the devastation what wildfires can do. The worst California wildfires were the Camp Fires of 2018, that took the lives of 86 residents. And consumed homes at a rapid rate.That fire was caused by a Power Company. And they have been held liable for that fire. It is estimated that in South Eastern Australia, that 12 million acres have already burned, and there are actually fire tornadoes, that have started, making it more difficult to fight. The Australian Military are now involved in evacuating residents to safety. 25 are estimated to have died. And wildlife deaths are estimated to be a half billion. Koala bears and perhaps Kangaroos are among them. The US has already sent 100 Veteran firefighters to Australia, 20 of which are from California. More Americans are on the way. These are to give relief to the already extremely exhausted Australian firefighters. New Zealand has offered help too. May the Australians see an end to this hell they are going through. Many have lost everything, but the clothes on their body.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

I saw an article that New Zealand, Canada, the US and maybe others have sent fire fighters and gear - sometimes military with more on the way.

Also some of the large water bombers that have the legs to make it to Australia are in the mix with a serious increase in funds to lease more.
Seems the Australian gvt had not only failed to increase funds for water bombers but cut the permanent fund in the past.

I also read that so many have inquired about volunteering to go that the Canadian Gvt announced that only professional firefighters or former professionals would be considered.

The world is responding with help - to include the International Red Cross. So you can help by donating - beware of sudden requests for donations from people you never heard of before - donate to the Red Cross etc and only direct to their sites - not cold calls. Another good one is "Team Rubicon" esp direct to Team Rubicon Australia. This is a volunteer disaster response group started by veterans in the US in 2010 for the Haiti Earthquake and it has since spread to several countries. My oldest son (Army Reserves) and daughter both deployed to Houston after Harvey - her team included an Australian. Time to pay it back and/or ahead.

drc023 Loc: North Little Rock, Arkansas

Seeing the devastation caused by the fires is heartbreaking. The loss of life, both human and animal is a tragedy beyond comprehension for me to process. All of the lives are precious but perhaps the plight of Koalas emphasizes the toll more than anything else. I don't know if it would have made a difference but the failure of the Prime Minister to be proactive certainly didn't help. Hopefully a miracle will happen and the fires can be contained.

SX2002 Loc: Adelaide, South Australia

Sadly we're getting up into the high 30s tomorrow and the 40s again Thursday..while we have our own fires (South Australia) this heat will hit Victoria and New South Wales over the weekend. Strong winds are also forecast so hopefully it won't restart old fires or new ones. It's still not looking good. The guys from all over must be pretty worn out by now..

Doddy Loc: Barnard Castle-England

It was reported on the BBC news that the fires covered an area the size of Ireland. That must be sending a huge amount of 'filth' into the Earths atmosphere!

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

The sky appeared orange from the raging fires. And smoke was so thick, that at sunup, you couldn't see the sun. Same in Australia, I bet.

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

Yes. Fire fighters in California's Camp fires were working 16 hours per day. Physical work, in protective clothing, that makes the body temperature rise. Dehydration, lack of food for energy, takes its toll on the body. And you only have 8 hours to sleep, eat, and re-hydrate. That's a tough day to day schedule. The Australian firefighters are no doubt, experiencing the same exhaustive schedule.