Australia

Amy and Ben Spencer sit at a Bega campground after being evacuated from wildfires in New South Wales on Dec. 31, 2019.Sean Davey / AFP - Getty Images file

nbcnews

Jan. 6, 2020, 5:49 PM WAT
By Kalhan Rosenblatt




As deadly wildfires continue to devastate Australia, celebrities have begun campaigning on social media to raise funds to support efforts to stamp out the blazes.

The wildfires have ravaged three states, claiming 24 lives, destroying almost 2,000 homes and leaving at least 12 million acres of land burned. World Wide Fund For Nature-Australia estimates approximately half a billion animals have been killed in the fires.


As the flames continued to devastate the country, fundraisers began springing up on social media.

On Facebook, nearly a million people helped raise more than $26 million for The Trustee For NSW Rural Fire Service & Brigades Donations Fund. Another fundraiser has collected more than $3 million for WIRES Wildlife Rescue, while a third has raised more than $1 million for The Trustee For Country Fire Authority & Brigades Donations Fund.

A Facebook spokesperson confirmed to NBC News that the fundraiser for NSW Rural Fire Service, which was started by Australian actor, writer and comedian Celeste Barber, is the largest fundraiser ever on the platform.

The previous largest fundraiser was created by Charlotte and Dave Willner for RAICES, which raised $20.77M from 536K donors, the Facebook spokesperson said in an email