Since June 2019, there have been many large bushfires burning across Australia, especially in the south east where a state of emergency was declared in New South Wales. As of 14 January 2020, fires this season have burned an estimated 18.6 million hectares ,destroyed over 5,900 buildings (including approximately 2,683 homes) and killed at least 29 people. An estimated one billion animals were also killed and some endangered species may be driven to extinction.
