SYDNEY, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- With wildfires devastating vast areas of Australia's east coast, the unprecedented scale of the disaster has left many communities Down Under in desperate need of help.
Already burning through around two million hectares of bushland, six people have lost their lives so far and approximately 670 homes and 1,400 structures have been destroyed.
Deeply saddened by the ongoing tragedy, members of Sydney's Chinese community decided to come together and raise money for those affected.
Led by fitness instructor Andrew Xiang, local non-profit groups Neighbourhood Eastwood and Eastwood Chinese Senior Citizen Club joined forces to participate in a "fitness flashmob."
"As a personal trainer I constantly work indoors, but recently as I walked out of my gym at the end of the day, I saw that the sky was very smokey," he told Xinhua on Wednesday.
"I read about the news online and wanted to do my bit to help, so I organized a bootcamp to raise public awareness about the air pollution caused by the fire."
He talked to two other trainers, Sarah Ridley and Troy Bolland, and made this happen in just 10 days.
With around 100 people in attendance, the group raised 2,685 Australian (1831 U.S. dollars) dollars which was handed over to the Tzu Chi Foundation -- a disaster relief organization dedicated to helping people across the world.
"Although we raised only a little amount of money, I know it will go directly to the victims of this natural disaster and hopefully help play a small part in rebuilding their homes," Xiang said.
With the kindness and generosity also catching the eye of local Australia media, Xiang said he planed to continue his charity work and raise even more money for the bushfire relief effort.
"Personally speaking, I think any deed which can help the community is of significant importance," he said.
"This is just the beginning. There will be more events like this on the horizon."
