Australia is being swallowed by the worst fires the country has ever seen in decades. These fires have been caused by drought, extreme heat and some people are even bringing in the idea of climate change.

The fire season began in July leading to this awful tragedy. About 27 deaths have been reported and over 2000 homes have been destroyed, the officials are struggling to contain the flames and called in help from other countries, including the United States.

Every state in Australia has been affected by the fire but New South Wales has been hit the hardest. The bigger cities, including Sydney, have also been struck by flames but mainly in the suburban areas which are on the outskirts. If the city isn’t being directly hit by the flames it is being harmed by the thick smoke that covers the city. Just a few weeks ago Sydney’s air quality level was so dangerous it was 11 times past the hazardous level.

The wind has contributed to the rapid spread of the fire and smoke and is to blame for the widespread disaster. The winds are so strong they killed a 28-year-old volunteer firefighter when the treacherous winds rolled over his truck and unfortunately he couldn’t get out in time.

The damage done has devastated a total of 17.9 million acres so far and continues to burn even more. Unfortunately, the fires aren’t looking like they will come to an end soon as Australia’s summer season is right around the corner.