These terrible bushfires have been blazing since last Saturday and the death toll so far is 170 but may rise to 230.
Most of the fires are just north of Melbourne, state of Victoria, in Australia. There are some starting in New South Wales.
Firefighters say some of the blazes may have been deliberately lit – or relit after being extinguished, a possibility addressed by Kevin Rudd, the Prime Minister.
"What do you say about anyone like that? There are no words to describe it other than mass murder,” Mr Rudd said, fighting back tears in a television interview. “This is of a level of horror that few of us anticipated.”
Ordinary people and big corporations from all over Australia are digging deep into their pockets to send relief to the people who lost their homes.
The authorities believe the severity and the speed at which the fires spread is very likely related to climate change.
Extreme weather seems to be affecting communities all over the globe, with devastating results. It's time for all nations to review their approach to this problem.
It's not going to solve itself and if not addressed very soon, it will reach catastrophic proportions for all of us and other creatures that share the planet with us.
