Australia is battling a rash of wildfires which have ignited throughout the country over the last two weeks. Firefighters estimate a total of 48 fires are burning through New South Wales (NSW), home to Australia’s most populous city. Blazes have destroyed 577 homes, and officials estimate the worst is to come. Wildfires are yet to creep inside Australia’s capital city but now some people are struggling to breathe as choking fumes leak into Australia’s most densely populated regions.
Smoke is shrouding Sydney, causing issues for some of its five million residents.
Locals have described an ominous hazy sky and a smell of smoke inside their homes.
Other residents are reporting trouble breathing, raising the alarm amongst Australian health officials.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, paramedics have treated more than 50 people for asthma and breathing-related problems since Tuesday morning alone.
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Official figures reveal Sydney’s air quality is breaching “hazardous” levels.
In Australia, an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 200 or more is deemed hazardous, and Sydney’s north-west is currently on 500.
In Rouse Hill and Prospect, suburbs to Sydney’s west, air quality measured at 2000 AQI.
High AQI values indicate the air is teeming with particles which can penetrate the lungs and cause severe problems for those suffering from chronic breathing conditions.
The Air Quality Index advises people with preexisting conditions living in hazardous areas should avoid all outdoor physical activity.
For everyone else, the index advises people to cut back on outdoor activity.
Four people, most aged 50 and over, have died as a result of the fires since they flared up after November 8 this year.
Two more people, couple Bob Lindsey and Gwen Hyde, aged 77 and 68, were killed when bushfires hit the region in October.
According to Dr Richard Broome, director of environmental health for NSW Health, elderly and chronically sick people are most at risk of severe complications from smoke and hot weather in Australia.
He said: “We know that heatwaves cause severe illness, hospital admission and even deaths, and that people are more sensitive to heatwaves early in the season. The combination of heat and poor air quality adds to the risk.
“Hot weather puts a lot of strain on the body, causes dehydration and can make underlying health conditions worse. It also causes heat stress and heatstroke.
“People over 75, people with chronic medical conditions and people who live alone are particularly vulnerable.”