The Buckinghamshire Freemasons have donated £79,000 to help victims of Australian bush fires.

The charitable organization have teamed up with Freemasons in Australia and will see $50,000 Australian dollars given to the Australian Freemason’s Disaster Relief Funds in each of three most affected by the blaze – South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria.

An estimated 18 million acres of land have been burned by the bush fires, with up to a billion animals being killed.

The death toll among koala bears has been so severe it has led to calls for the animals to be put on the endangered species list.

John Clark, the head of Buckinghamshire Freemasons, said: “These terrible fires are an ongoing disaster for thousands of Australians.

“I’m very pleased that Buckinghamshire Freemasons are working together with Freemasons in Australia to raise funds to help the victims of the blazes, many of whom have lost everything.”