Wildfires

Wildfires - Sydney, Australia

Sydney residents are set to endure poor air quality as smoke from a large uncontrolled bushfire in a military reserve spreads across the city. Wollongong and South Coast residents are also expected to be affected by smoke from the large blaze in the Holsworthy military reserve, 25km southwest of Sydney’s CBD.

Unexploded military ordnance and dense bushland has hampered efforts to contain the blaze, with aircraft and firefighters told to avoid getting too close to the fire front. Instead, firefighters have begun a 4000-hectare backburning campaign, which has greatly contributed to the smoke haze.

Wildfires - California, Texas, Oregon, USA

More than 50,000 people have been evacuated in Northern California bushfires that have killed six, including two children and their great-grandmother, as fire crews battled on to quell flames that have destroyed entire neighbourhoods.

Officials said a second firefighter, who died fighting a huge blaze near Yosemite National Park, was among the six confirmed deaths.

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said on Sunday that 12,000 firefighters were battling 17 significant fires in California.

The Carr fire, the deadliest and most destructive of nearly 90 fires burning from Texas to Oregon, has charred 36,095 hectares of drought-parched vegetation since erupting last Monday. More than 5,012 structures were threatened by the fire, officials said. The flames destroyed 517 structures and damaged 135.