Residents of Newcastle and the Hunter may have to put up with smoke haze triggered by an out-of-control bushfire in northern NSW for several days.
The fire, burning in the area of Lake Innes and Lake Cathie, south of Port Macquarie, had scorched more than 2000 hectares by Wednesday morning and was continuing to spread.
The fire triggered an emergency warning on Tuesday, but early on Wednesday had been downgraded to advice level as conditions eased.
NSW Rural Fire Service spokesman Greg Allan said the cause was a suspected lightning strike, and north-easterly winds had pushed smoke from the blaze as far south as Wollongong and Nowra.
"It's still an active fire and won't be out for some time," Mr Allan said.
"The winds are pushing it down along the coast, which will keep happening as long as the fire is burning."
The blaze, which has been burning for several days, broke containment lines earlier on Tuesday.
"Firefighters and aircraft have been working to slow the spread of the fire and protect properties," NSW RFS said in a statement.
"Firefighters will be conducting backburning operations where local conditions allow today.
"You will see an increase in smoke and flames while these operations are carried out."
Residents in Lake Cathie, Long Point, Bonny Hills, Kew, Kendall, Herons Creek and Bobs Creek were warned to monitor conditions.
NSW Health reminded people that children, older adults and people with heart and lung conditions were most susceptible to the effects of air pollution and excessive smoke.
There were 71 fires burning across NSW as of Wednesday morning, with 30 yet to be contained.
Much of state's east will be under very high fire danger for Wednesday.
This includes the greater Hunter, greater Sydney, Illawarra/Shoalhaven, Monaro alpine, Southern Ranges and Central Ranges fire areas.
- Australian Associated Press
IN THE NEWS
-
McDonald's lodges development application with Lake Macquarie council for a restaurant in Cameron Park
- Former Newcastle Anglican dean Graeme Lawrence lodges appeal against conviction, jail term
- Lake Macquarie council to write to Corrective Services opposing early release of convicted pedophile Milton Orkopoulos
- M1 crash at Halloran: Traffic chaos after a four-vehicle crash south of Lake Macquarie
- Double doesn't mean trouble for St Francis Xavier's College's seven sets of twins
- Hospitals rated by Hunter patients in the Bureau of Health Information (BHI) survey
