Elton John, Actor Chris Hemsworth Pledge $1 Million to Fight Deadly Bushfires in Australia

Pop icon Elton John and Avengers star Chris Hemsworth have pledged to donate one million dollars each to help Australia recover from the massive bushfires that have beset the island nation for the last few weeks.

During a stop on his “Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour,” singer Elton John told the crowd he was in “awe” of the firefighters working to quell the blazes raging across eastern Australia.

“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,” John said from the stage. “And last, is the plight of the animals and loss of their habitat that, frankly, is on a biblical scale and heartbreaking.”

Before continuing the concert, the Grammy-winner told the crowd that he was donating a million dollars to the recovery effort.

#EltonJohn pledges $1m to bushfire fund #australiafire #Australiabushfire pic.twitter.com/CpHefA6XdO

— Kylie Simmonds (@Kylie_Simmonds) January 7, 2020

Marvel Studios Thor star, Chris Hemsworth also announced he’s helping the recovery.

Hemsworth, a native Australian, took to his Instagram account to announce his million-dollar donation to fire recovery.

“Like you, I want to support the fight against the bushfires here in Australia. My family and I are contributing a million dollars. Hopefully, you guys can chip in too,” Hemsworth wrote on Instagram. “I’ve added links to support the firefighters, organisations, and charities who are working flat out to provide support and relief during this devastating and challenging time.”

View this post on Instagram

Hi everyone. Like you, I want to support the fight against the bushfires here in Australia. My family and I are contributing a million dollars. Hopefully you guys can chip in too. Every penny counts so whatever you can muster up is greatly appreciated. In my bio I’ve added links to support the fire fighters, organisations and charities who are working flat out to provide support and relief during this devastating and challenging time. Beyond appreciative to everyone around the world for their well wishes and donations. It really does make a difference, so dig deep! Love ya.

A post shared by Chris Hemsworth (@chrishemsworth) on Jan 6, 2020 at 6:34pm PST

While many, especially those in the entertainment industry, are quick to blame climate change for the rise in the number of bushfires, in fact, it is an arson epidemic that is most responsible for a large number of this year’s fires.

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