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Hazardous air quality warning as smoke from bushfires spreads across NSW and Queensland Hazardous air quality warning as smoke from bushfires spreads across NSW
(about 7 hours later)
Residents in Sydney and other parts of the east coast advised to stay indoors where possible to avoid air pollutionResidents in Sydney and other parts of the east coast advised to stay indoors where possible to avoid air pollution
Much of Sydney and the Hunter regions of New South Wales have been advised to “stay inside as much as possible” on Tuesday, as winds pushing smoke from the devastating mid-north coast bushfires down the state’s east coast lead to “hazardous” air quality conditions. Authorities are warning New South Wales residents not to underestimate the damaging effects of smoke as air quality worsens amid the state’s bushfire crisis.
Air quality in south-east Queensland has also plunged this week, with people urged to limit their time outdoors. About 80 fires are burning across NSW, filling Sydney’s skies with smoke pollution of “hazardous” proportions, according to the environment department.
With NSW in the grip of a “catastrophic” fire danger warning, much of Sydney and the Hunter woke to hazardous air quality conditions on Tuesday, while in Brisbane a thick cloud of smoke also enveloped the city. The latest air quality index rating has recorded 221 micrograms of particulates per cubic metre in Sydney’s east, while the lower Hunter’s figure of 306 was the worst in the state.
Data published by the NSW environment department showed the Illawarra region south of Sydney, also subject to the catastrophic fire warning, was also experiencing “poor” air quality. Dust has also contributed to poor air quality in Sydney, Newcastle and the central coast ahead of a southern change expected to hit on Tuesday evening, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
The environment department warned people to stay inside as much as possible and avoid outdoor exertion. The NSW Ambulance commissioner, Dominic Morgan, said the smoke was causing “slightly above-average demand” on services, with almost 100 asthma or breathing-related calls since Tuesday morning.
“Everyone, especially people with heart or lung disease, should avoid outdoor exertion and stay inside as much as possible,” the department advised. Of those, 39 were from the Sydney area and another 35 were from the north of the state where the majority of fires are burning.
“Everyone should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion.” In one case paramedics treated a patient who no longer had their reliever medication.
The Bureau of Meteorology warned that hot, dry and gusty winds would generate “very dangerous fire conditions across large parts” of NSW on Tuesday. Morgan urged asthmatics and others vulnerable to respiratory issues to remain vigilant, or the consequences could be fatal.
Gabrielle Woodhouse, a forecaster with the bureau, said the “huge amount of ongoing fire” in the state’s north was pushing smoke down the coast. “To fail to make a plan when you have an asthma condition or respiratory condition and not have reliever medication, this could be a deadly condition for you,” he said.
She said that with the wind expected to pick up later in the afternoon, air quality was expected to worsen. “So make a plan and get medical aid as soon as possible.”
“With the wind picking up and the hot and dry conditions, those fires will likely take off again this afternoon so there could be a lot more smoke,” she said. The Australian National University population and climate health expert Liz Hanna said everybody should be wary of the smoke’s irritating effects.
The weather bureau is forecasting a powerful southerly change to hit Sydney at about 7pm. While it will bring relief through cooler temperatures, it also poses a risk because fires burning near the coast would change direction. “Never underestimate how these things can sneak up on you and how damaging they can be, even if you think you’re fit and well,” Hanna said.
“We’ve issued a severe weather warning for damaging winds around the Snowy Mountains and southern tablelands, that wind has just turned the corner around Eden [in the state’s south] and will move quite quickly along the coast this evening,” Woodhouse said. “Smoke can amplify pre-existing conditions but also trigger responses in people that don’t know that they’re subclinical.
“We could have gale-force winds with gusts above 90km per hour.” “They can have quite a dramatic response and this could be their first time.
On Tuesday the Rural Fire Service commissioner, Shane Fitzsimmons, said winds would begin strengthening from mid-morning. “That’s when it’s really quite dangerous because they don’t know they’re vulnerable and they tend to not have the medication by their side.”
“Now is the time to exercise those decisions to leave, leave early and go to safer locations, safer towns or safer places in your community such as shopping centres,” he said. Inhaled heat can also burn people’s throat and lungs, Hanna said.
While there were no new fires of concern in the catastrophic fire danger areas, he said the fires burning in the northern parts of the state were increasing in activity. “There’s a wicked tendency for people to get out there in their thongs and shorts,” she said.
“And we’re getting reports of some fire spread particularly in the fires further up in the northern areas of NSW,” he said. “There’s been a number of tactical backburning operations.” “That offers zero protection to the radiant heat of a fire.
The Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, said employers must consider the health of outdoor workers, with smoke from the fires reducing air quality to “very poor” in major centres, including Brisbane and on the Gold Coast. “They should wear thick cotton fabric rather than some of the artificial fabrics that can actually melt and burn the skin.”
Hanna echoed the advice of authorities for people to remain indoors and avoid outdoor activity, noting long-term exposure to pollution can lead to problems later in life.
“You can have scarring in which case your long-term respiratory function is diminished,” she said.
“All this stuff can sensitise [people] and give them lifelong problems with breathing and greater susceptibility to colds and coughs and shortness of breath when confronted with other problems.”
Across NSW more than 575 schools were closed on Tuesday after the state premier, Gladys Berejiklian, declared a week-long state of emergency in the wake of devastating fires on the NSW mid-north coast in which three people died and at least 150 homes were destroyed.Across NSW more than 575 schools were closed on Tuesday after the state premier, Gladys Berejiklian, declared a week-long state of emergency in the wake of devastating fires on the NSW mid-north coast in which three people died and at least 150 homes were destroyed.