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'Shocking' Bushfire Smoke Creates Hazardous Air Conditions in Sydney

Thick bushfire smoke created hazardous air-quality conditions in Sydney on the morning of Tuesday, December 10.

Smoke is affecting communities on the New South Wales east coast, including Sydney, due to westerly winds pushing smoke from bushfires burning on the city’s outskirts. The smoke is predicted to linger until temperatures fall and the winds shift later in the day.

The air quality index for some parts of the city was above 1,000 in the morning – five times the ‘hazardous’ threshold of 200.

In this video, posted to Instagram by Mat Dalby, smoke can be seen shrouding the Harbour Bridge as the haze sits over Sydney Harbour. In the post, Dalby wrote that the footage showed “the shocking effects of the bushfires on my commute this morning.”

Bushfires have burned nearly 2.7 million hectares in the state of New South Wales this fire season. Credit: Mat Dalby via Storyful