For my first blog post, I figured it would be wise to discuss the wildfires in Australia. Australia has seen many wildfires since way back in the eighties. The current ongoing wildfire which seemingly can’t be stopped and has swept the media has reportedly been going on since late June of 2019. Many wildfires start out as bushfires and Australia has even given a particular time of the year the title of ‘bushfire season’ because of how frequently they occur. This fire in particular began in New South Wales due to severe drought and has impacted various regions such as the North Coast, Mid North Coast, the Hunter Region, the Hawkesbury and the Wollondilly in Sydney’s far west, the Blue Mountains, Illawarra and the South Coast. It has gotten so bad that ecologists fear some endangered species will be driven to extinction by the fires. It was just in December that the New South Wales Government decided to declare a state of emergency after record-breaking temperatures. Though the roaring fires seem like the biggest threat, it is reported by CNN that the smoke was so bad in Sydney that air quality measured 11 times the “hazardous” level. Although unsure of how the fires may have started, at least 24 people have been charged with deliberately starting bushfires, and have taken legal action against 183 people for fire-related offenses since November says CNN. It is also likely that the fires may have been the result of lightning strikes the dry, drought-affected forests. It is shocking how little attention this issue drew at first because of the insane damage that it has caused. CNN states 1,588 homes have been destroyed and over 650 damaged with more than 7.3 million hectares (17.9 million acres) having been burned across Australia’s six states, also leaving 27 people dead and nearly a billion animals affected. Unfortunately for Australia the summer season has only just begun. Temperatures are known to peak in January and February, so that means they may be a while from being relieved of this issue. What can be done and has begun to gain traction is donations for Australia. TV stars, social media influencers, content creators, and even adult content creators are coming up with different ways of gathering money to send and aid Australia.