Australians are paying their respects to a firefighter who died in the Australia wildfires, which have been devastating the continent since September last year. His funeral was attended by several dozen of his colleagues, as well as Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, among others.
Andrew O’Dwyer, a volunteer firefighter, died at 36 years old. The man was crushed by a burned tree on December 19th. Another firefighter, Geoffrey Keaton, was also involved in the deadly accident. . During the funeral ceremony, which took place in Sydney, dozens of officers formed a guard of honor, paying the last tribute to the deceased. The firefighter was also awarded a medal by New South Wales fire commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons. The award was received by the daughter of the deceased, Charlotte. Representatives of state authorities, including the Australian Prime Minister, also took part in the ceremony. The Australian Business Council, which intends to donate $25 million Australian has announced aid for children orphaned by deceased firefighters.
The raging fires in Australia have burned down nearly 9 million hectares of bush since October and destroyed more than 1,000 homes. The most affected area is the East coast of the continent. Recently, fires have appeared on Kangaroo Island, devastating nearly a third of its surface. The fire destroyed the Flinders Chase National Park located in that area, inhabited by healthy koalas, kangaroos and rare species of birds. According to experts, it is estimated that around 500 million animals have died as a result of the dangerous fires.