Elton John to Donate $1M to Australia Wildfire Relief

Elton John is the latest celebrity to pledge money to Australia wildfire relief.

During his January 7 show in Sydney, John announced he'll be donating $1 million dollars to benefit funds dedicated to relief efforts.

Sir Elton said to the Sydney crowd, "We should all be in the awe of the work the firefighters are doing. There are people out there who have lost their lives trying to save homes. There are people who have lost their lives and their homes. And lastly, there’s the plight of the animals, a loss of their habitat that frankly is on a biblical scale and it’s heartbreaking. Therefore, tonight, I will be pledging $1 million dollars to support the bushfire relief fund. As I said earlier, this is a magnificent country and I love it here so much and to see what is happening here breaks my heart, so we have to come together."

Per CNN, the first of Australia's bushfires began in late July. A total of 17.9 million acres have been burned. At least 24 people have died, which includes local volunteer firefighters. Local wildlife has been greatly affected, with Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley saying a third of koalas in New South Wales (NSW) have been killed. It's estimated that half a billion animals in total in NSW have been affected.