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"Danger to the public": The fires in Sydney continue to ruin the lives of residents - Walla! news

2019-12-10T12:50:01.935Z


Known for its clear skies, Australia's port city has been suffering from smoke and ash for more than two weeks following the raging fire, with major sites disappearing behind the smog. Now, while ...


"Danger to the public": The fires in Sydney continue to destroy residents' lives

Known for its clear skies, Australia's port city has been suffering from smoke and ash for more than two weeks following the raging fire, with major sites disappearing behind the smog. Now, while the health of residents is affected by the conditions, there are those who decide to leave the area: "We decided to evacuate"

"Danger to the public": The fires in Sydney continue to destroy residents' lives

Photo: Reuters, Edit: Shaul Adam

Heavy smoke coming from forest fires in Australia has hit Sydney on Tuesday. The smoke triggered alarms and stopped ferry services, with major sites in the country's most populous city disappearing behind the smog, some of the worst covering the port city.

A 60km fire front is destroying dry areas northwest of Sydney, and the dangerous smoke rising from it reaches east and the Pacific. According to satellite images, the smoke has reached as far as 2,000km, to New Zealand.

"This smoky period we have been experiencing for the past month is unprecedented, so these conditions pose a risk to public health," said Richard Brom, director of the Department of Environmental Health at the New South Wales State Government. Brom said that while many people will suffer from eye pain and nose and throat irritations, patients, children and the elderly are at high risk.

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"An unprecedented smoky period." Sydney Harbor through smoke, today (Photo: Reuters)

Sydney Opera House through heavy smog Australia, December 10, 2019 (Photo: Reuters)

Government data showed that Sydney's air quality index was 11 times the dangerous threshold in some areas of the city.

Sydney, where more than five million people live, better known for its clear skies and azure harbor, has been suffering from smoke and ash for more than two weeks. Air pollution turned the sky orange, blurred the lungs and motivated many residents to wear respiratory masks.

Forest fires are common during Australia's hot and dry summer, but their intensity and onset earlier than usual this year, during the southern hemisphere spring season, are unprecedented. Experts explain that climate change has left the forests dry and flammable.

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It's scary, many people have decided to leave. "Sydney, today (Photo: Reuters)

Heavy smog in Sydney Australia, December 10, 2019 (Photo: Reuters)

Hawksbury Mayor Barry Colbert told the Reuters news agency that although authorities had not ordered an official evacuation, many residents in areas under threat decided to leave their homes anyway.

"It's scary. Many people have decided to leave, and I'm going to do the same," said Colbert, who lives in northwest Sydney. "I went through this about 20 years ago when I was standing outside my house looking at the six-foot-high flames. I decided then that I would check early if it happened again."

In total, more than a hundred fires have been counted in the states of South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. At least four people were killed as a result of the fire, which destroyed at least 680 homes and more than a million acres. In the meantime, many events planned to take place in the open in areas filled with fire were canceled, including yacht racing in the Sydney Harbor area.

Source: walla

All news articles on 2019-12-10

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