Towards the end of 2019, Australia was wracked by some of the most devastating wildfires in the Earth’s recorded history. Millions of hectares, thousands of homes, and dozens of human lives were lost to the blazes, which reached a zenith in the country’s southeast on New Year’s Eve.

VICE's Gavin Butler visits the bushfire-ravaged communities of southern NSW, to tell the stories of the people still living in the disaster zone who have been forced to take the relief effort into their own hands.

If you have the ability, making a donation is one of the simplest ways that you can help with the ongoing bushfire crisis in Australia. Many emergency services take donations that help fund frontline fire fighting. That includes state organisations like New South Wales RFS, Victoria’s CFA and South Australia’s CFS. The Red Cross is currently running an appeal that focuses on communities affected by fires, helping to cover the cost of evacuation centres, disaster preparations, and training volunteers. If you want to make a donation that focuses on wildlife rescue and rehabilitation WIRES is Australia’s largest wildlife rescue organisation.

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