Students react to wildfires in Australia

According to the New York Times, a recent Australia Institute survey found that 57 percent of Australians have been directly affected by the bush fires or their smoke. With officials in New South Wales announcing Thursday that heavy rain had helped them finally extinguish or control all the state’s fires that have raged this Australian summer.

Bush fire at Captain Creek central Queensland Australia.

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Bush fire at Captain Creek central Queensland Australia.

Joana Magana, Staff Writer

Fires, floods, and drought in Australia have captured the world’s attention. The weather is extreme down under and it is threatening the lives of people, animals, and plants. 

In the last few months, millions of acres of forest in Australia have burned and recently it rained more than 12 inches in only 48 hours. The land that was scorched couldn’t absorb all that water and that led to floods.

Freshman Karina Jaramillo worries about the impact the fires have on our planet, “I think the Australian fire is an example of how people aren’t taking care of our home we live on and how we just keep killing everything. I think the fire is natural because nobody in their right mind would just start the fire out of nowhere and we haven’t been taking care of the earth and being careful with it.”

Gym teacher Belinda Hayes is watching the situation, “I want to believe that the fires are natural. Australia is a dry place, so I say that’s how the fires get started. I Say that some issues about the fires are that animals die or get injured. The good news is that natural recovery is amazing.”

According to the New York Times, a recent Australia Institute survey found that 57 percent of Australians have been directly affected by the bush fires or their smoke. Officials in New South Wales announcing Thursday that heavy rain had helped them finally extinguish or control all the state’s fires that have raged this Australian summer.