Australia Wildfires

For the last decade, Hamutal Mazrier has been living with her husband Yaron, their eight-year-old son Ben, and their twelve-year-old son Nathan in a suburb very close to Sydney, New South Wales. While there were never any fires right at her front doorstep, Mazrier and her family have still been affected by them. Mazrier has had to reshape her daily schedule, now needing to start off each morning with a quick open-and-close of the window to see how breathable the air outside is. There have been changes for the children as well. Heavy smoke forced them to stay indoors all day as their school year came to a close and continued to keep them confined well into their summer break (summer break in Australia begins around late December). The family was forced to stay in the safety of their home and cancel a beach vacation they had been planning. The children’s summer camp had to be relocated because it was originally supposed to be held in a mega-fire zone, a place where a fire has already destroyed 100,000 acres (156.25 square miles).

In the past, Mazrier practiced as a veterinarian, but she currently works as a researcher and lecturer at The University of Sydney. Unfortunately for Sydney’s 5.23 million residents, the fires’ effects on the city were much worse than their effects on its suburbs. Instead of only being affected by the smoke, some parts of Sydney were affected by the flames themselves. Mazrier’s university was in danger of being hit by the fires, causing a mandatory evacuation of the entire staff. Not all the animals could be evacuated, giving the staff only two things they could do: leave large amounts of food and water for the animals and hope for the best. Luckily, the fires came very close but never actually damaged the school. The essential staff was able to return after a few days, and found that all the animals had survived.

According to Mazrier, the community has stepped up for those pushed to their knees. “Every Australian knows someone or [has] relatives that [live] in at least one of the fire areas, so obviously everybody [was worried]. Many people and businesses are trying to donate money, food, and other needed items to the affected communities. People are hosting strangers that were left with no home or were evacuated from affected areas in their house. Some offered [places] to [evacuate] pets, horses, sheep and [wildlife] in their home or garden.” People of all ages have been doing their part. The Student Representative Council at her eight-year-old’s school organized a fundraiser to raise money for another school that had burned down. Students at the local high school held a bake sale that raised 2,600 AUD (about $1,775 USD).

So far, the fires have affected Australia’s most populated state–New South Wales–the most. As of January 20, the fires have reportedly destroyed over 2,000 homes, 100,000 square kilometers of land, and claimed at least 30 human lives–several of them being those of volunteer firefighters. Approximately half a billion animals have been affected; millions are considered likely dead. If the 100,000 square kilometers were to be shaped as a circle, that circle’s radius would be approximately 178.4 kilometers. From an American poSItion*, that radius would equal approximately 140.6 miles. Using Masterman as a starting point, that distance would extend through New York City and all the way to Connecticut. Going in the opposite direction, that distance would run through Washington D.C. and into Virginia.

When asked if this experience had given her any words of wisdom she could give to 400 highschoolers, Mazrier answered, “I am not sure, just remember to enjoy life and appreciate the time you spend with your close family and friends.” This message is presented with a glimmer of hope for Australians, as in the last few days heavy rainfall has been putting out blazes all over the country one by one. By Valentine’s Day, all fires in New South Wales were reportedly contained.

*“This is an intentional SI unit joke.” - David Dunlop (11-1)