Fire fighting

Elton John donates $1million to help fight Australia’s bushfires

 

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Elton John has pledged to donate $1million to help fight the current bushfire crisis in Australia.

Elton is currently on tour in Australia and he made the announcement to the audience at his Qudos Bank Arena show in Sydney on Tuesday night.

In an Instagram posting, he said, “Seeing the fires raging across Australia have left me heartbroken. This tragedy has taken lives, homes and devastated so much wildlife. At my Sydney show last night, I pledged $1 million dollars to support the Bushfire Relief Fund. God bless, Australia.”

Related: Gay adult performers will slide into your DMs in exchange for Australia relief donation

In the accompanying video, he called the current crisis an “apocalyptic disaster.”

“We should all be in the awe of the work the firefighters are doing, in the face of seven years of drought.

“There are people out there who have lost their lives trying to save homes; there are people who have lost their lives and their homes.

“And lastly, there’s the plight of the animals, a loss of their habitat that frankly is on a biblical scale and it’s heartbreaking.

“This is a magnificent country that I have been coming to since 1971. I love it here so much. To see what is happening here breaks my heart, so we have to come together and we have to fight, and this is my bit towards it. I love Australia so much. and to those who’ve lost their homes, God bless, I hope your lives will be repaired very, very soon.”

Husband David Furnish added on his own Instagram, “Last night on stage in Sydney, Elton pledged $1 million to support the firefighters in Australia.

“Our family have been living there since November and we have been deeply distressed and heartbroken witnessing the fiery destruction of such a beautiful country. The loss of animal life is incomprehensible. Our hearts go out to everyone affected by these devastating fires.”

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Other celebrities to have publicly donated to combat the bushfire crisis include Kylie Minogue, Pink, Nicole Kidman and husband Keith Urban. Chris Hemsworth and Kylie Jenner, like Elton, have also pledged $1million each.

Like John, singer Lizzo is also currently on tour in Australia. Yesterday she took time out between shows to help volunteer pack food parcels with the organization Foodbank Victoria

An estimated 18 million acres of land have been burned in the recent bushfires, with at least 24 people killed and many homes destroyed. Some rural towns and villages have been completely devastated. It’s estimated up to a billion animals may have perished.

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