Australia is no stranger to bushfires however; the 2019-2020 seasons have proven to be unprecedented in many ways. The first major bushfires began even before the official arrival of spring, at the beginning of September 2019.
Over 18 million hectares have burned in the Australian bushfire season 2019–2020 as of mid-January destroying over 5,900 buildings including over 2,800 homes. In addition to human fatalities, many millions of animals are reported to have been killed.
As a result of intense smoke and air pollution stemming from the fires, in January 2020 reports indicated that Canberra measured the worst air quality index of any major city in the world.
As a result of the bushfires in Australia, assistance from many countries and organisations have been provided. Barzani Charity Foundation which is based in Kurdistan Region, Iraq donated thousands of bottled water to bushfire victims in Australia. We spoke to volunteer Fkri Barzani from the Kurdish community regarding the donation.
