Fundraiser nets A$20m in 48 hours
A fundraiser for fire services launched by the Australian comedian Celeste Barber on Friday raised more than A$20 million (£10.6m; $13m) in just 48 hours "Please help any way you can. This is terrifying," Ms Celeste wrote in a Facebook appeal. She called the rush of donations "incredible", and said the proceeds would go to NSW Rural Fire Service - a government-funded agency staffed by volunteers - and the Brigades Donations Fund, which channels charitable donations directly to fire brigades. Members of the comedian's family were evacuated from the town of Eden in New South Wales, where officials told residents to leave immediately and head north if they did not have a bushfire response plan. Image caption: Many New South Wales residents have turned to evacuation centres after fleeing their homes A number of celebrities have also donated money to support the firefighting effort in recent days - among them the US singer Pink and Oscar-winner Nicole Kidman, who pledged $500,000. "Our family's support, thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by the fires all over Australia," she wrote on Instagram. News of the donations was praised by Australians on social media, but some lamented that private citizens were raising funds they said should have been put in place by the government. Nearly 200 fires are still burning across the country, with every state and territory affected. More than 1,200 homes have been destroyed and millions of hectares of land scorched. Tens of thousands of homes in NSW were left without power and thousands of people have been evacuated from coastal towns over the past week. The town of Cooma suffered a further blow on Saturday night when a large tower carrying millions of litres of water exploded, flooding homes and sweeping away vehicles. NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro told ABC News the incident was a "massive disaster".DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
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