Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:
Sydney was shrouded in a dangerous haze on Tuesday as high winds blew smoke from bushfires blazing along Australia's eastern coast into the country's biggest city sending pollution levels soaring.
Official data showed air pollution had reached "hazardous" levels across Sydney, with the highest readings of PM 2.5 particulates in the city's northwest reaching 186 parts per million on the air quality index - comparable to New Delhi in India. Residents were warned to avoid outdoor exercise.
[...] More than 110 fires are currently burning across the east, with dozens of blazes still not contained.
In South Australia state, a ban on lighting fires is in place ahead of predicted "catastrophic" fire danger on Wednesday, when temperatures are expected to soar to about 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 19 2019, @09:28PM
Its actually worse than that. The oils trapped in the bark can explode due to the high temperatures, so you'd get fireballs shooting out which contributes to the rapid spread of the fires.