Temperatures in many parts of New South Wales are expected to reach 40 degrees Celsius on December 18, nearing a record high in Australia’s most populous state. Local authorities said it would be difficult to control the fire before weather conditions worsened and existing fires would continue to spread. Local people should take precautions and evacuate when necessary.

Firefighters are still fighting more than 120 fires in New South Wales, including smoldering fires since November. Wildfires in Australia have also killed six people, destroying more than 680 homes and nearly 1 , 2 million hectares of forest.

Forest fires also raise concerns about smog pollution in Sydney, a city of 5 million people, consistently rated for good air quality. Forest fires have made Sydney’s sky more polluted, obscuring visibility and causing many people to wear masks when traveling to the streets due to dangerous air quality.

The forest fires in Australia usually take place in the dry summer. However, recent fires have become increasingly serious, which has led to the government of Prime Minister Scott Morrison facing criticism for not yet taking strong measures to address climate change.