Sydney air quality ‘hazardous’ as bushfires burn
Air pollution in Sydney has reached ‘hazardous’ levels from the bushfires in New South Wales.
Health officials have issued warnings for people in the city, advising the most vulnerable to stay indoors and others to avoid doing any exercise outside.
According to the latest readings, air quality levels are up to 50 times worse than normal and are expected to stay that way in the next few days.
The elderly, people with cardiovascular disease, asthma sufferers and young children are advised to remain inside with the windows and doors closed, preferably in an air-conditioned area.
Even healthy people are advised not to go jogging or do other exercise if they can see or smell smoke.
A state of emergency has been declared in New South Wales as bushfires continue to burn.
Officials fear that three fires near Lithgow, a city by the Blue Mountains, a popular tourist area, might merge to form a massive blaze.
They believe that weather conditions are likely to worsen, with warm weather and strong winds forecast during the week.
This means two fires are at risk of merging and in a "worst-case scenario" this fire could merge with a third further east.
In a briefing on Monday morning, the NSW fire commissioner said 58 blazes were still burning, with 14 out of control.
After the state of emergency was called yesterday (Sunday), emergency services were able to order mandatory evacuations, and cut gas and power supplies if required.
Hundreds have already been left homeless by the bushfires and one man died of a suspected heart attack while trying to protect his home.
Investigations are under way to establish whether one of the fires was started by a military training exercise using explosives.
Two boys, 11 and 15, have been arrested and charged with deliberately lighting two fires earlier this month.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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