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A haze covers Narrabeen Beach early today. Picture: Martin Lange
AUTHORITIES have issued a health alert after Sydney became shrouded in an eerie thick blanket of smoke covering large parts of the city today.
The eerie scene were caused by large scale back-burning carried out by the NSW Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) in the Blue Mountains.
The smoke was especially thick on the harbour and is blanketing the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House.
The NSW department of environment recorded air quality was hazardous on Saturday in Sydney’s northwest around Richmond and St Marys.
Air quality was also very poor in Sydney’s east around Randwick and Rozelle and in Sydney’s southwest around Liverpool and Camden.
People with heart or lung disease, older adults and children were warned to avoid exercising outdoors. Others should also avoid exerting themselves for a long period.
The NSW Rural Fire Service wrote on its website that planned hazard reduction burns were being conducted in areas including the Blue Mountains and Hawkesbury.
“These planned burns are being undertaken ahead of forecast wet weather in the coming days which would otherwise prevent these burns going ahead,†the website said.
Spokesman Brendan Doyle told news.com.au on Saturday afternoon how long the smoke remained was largely dependant on the weather.
Winds were forecast throughout the Sydney Basin but they would be “variable†which meant some areas would see the smoke stay longer than others.
Mr Doyle said the fire service apologised to people who were forced to change their plans today to avoid the smoke, but the long-term gain was worth it for those living in bushfire prone areas.
Parts of western and northwestern Sydney were already seeing the smoke clear, he said.
Sydneysiders were quick to voice their concerns.
The hazard reduction fires surround Sydney, ranging from Lithgow, Wentworth Falls, Glenbrook and Leumeah in the west, to Wyong in the north, and several controlled burns near Nowra.
Low temperatures had caused the smoke to settle overnight, according to the NSW Rural Fire Service on Twitter.
The NSWRFS issued a health warning to minimise the smoke’s impact. They advised asthma sufferers to carry their reliever medicine and reduce all outdoor activity while the smoke persists.