Australia has been hit with the biggest wave of fires recorded in decades. Sydney is engulfed in smoke carried by the wind, while its inhabitants resort to wearing masks. Local authorities declared the highest level of fire hazard and recommend immediate evacuation.
The front of the fire of forests and bushes in the north-west of Sydney is 60 km long and covers around 300 thousand hectares. Before yesterday, firemen from Canada came to Australia to help control the damage. Since October, 6 people perished in the fires and more than 700 hundred homes were destroyed. The continent now enters into summertime, which will last until March. The fires are spreading mainly in western and southern Australia as well as in Tasmania.