Sydney Opera House illuminates sails with images of Aus firefighters battling bushfires

Sydney: The sails of Sydney's iconic Opera House were illuminated with images of firefighters to show support for their efforts in battling bushfires. For over two hours on January 11, pictures of hand-painted signs and those of volunteers and firefighters were displayed on the iconic building's sails.

The tribute, which began at 8.30 pm, featured images taken by the photographers on the ground and focussed on moments of solidarity and hope.

"We want to send a message of hope and strength, and importantly to thank the emergency services and volunteers for their incredible efforts and courage," said a tweet from the Opera House's official handle.

In a statement, Opera House chief executive Louise Herron expressed gratitude to all the emergency services and the ongoing efforts of the volunteers and firefighters. The Opera House also announced that it will co-host a comedy gala fundraiser in March to benefit communities affected by the fires.

Australia is currently experiencing the worst fire season in its history. The fire has impacted more than 10.3 million hectares of forest land so far.

Since October, thousands of Australians have been subjected to repeat evacuations as huge and unpredictable fires scorched more than 10.3 million hectares (25.5 million acres), an area roughly the size of South Korea. Meanwhile, the Australian government on Monday said it might declare koalas as an "endangered" species after the population of the cuddly animal suffered an "extraordinary hit" in the unprecedented devastating bushfires, which destroyed 30 per cent of their habitat across the country.

The government also announced a 76-million Australian dollar fund for emergency mental health services for the communities hit by the crisis since September last year.

Over 1.25 billion animals are believed to be dead in the wake of bushfires and experts believe that hundreds of billions of insects may have been wiped out, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported.