Smokey Haze over Sydney

I woke this morning to a strong smell of smoke in the air. The sun rose an orange pink and visibility was cut. I took this photo from my window upstairs (sorry about the fly screen but I was not going to open the window to avoid it). I think my nearest fire is about 100km away near Bells Line of Road in the Blue Mountains. If we get a breeze later this will be good for me but bad for the fires as it will fan them up again.

Here are some tips about coping with smoke from The Conversation

"There are several measures that you can take to reduce your exposure to the bushfire smoke.

• If the pollution is severe in your local area, people at particularly high risk should consider the practicalities of leaving the affected area until the air quality has improved.
• Stay indoors and close windows and doors. If you have a well-sealed house this can delay the entry of smoke particles into your home, but it is only a temporary measure and completely depends on the structure of the house. If the house is not well sealed, smoke particles indoors will rapidly equilibrate with outdoor levels.
• Avoid exercise, as this results in faster and deeper breathing and can increase your exposure to smoke up to tenfold.
• If you have an air conditioner, set it to recycle so you don’t bring in outdoor air. If you have the option of adding a filter to your air conditioner, do so.
• The best evidence for reducing personal exposure comes from the use of high efficiency particle air filters (HEPA filters). These have shown to significantly reduce particle concentrations indoors when there’s a high level of fire smoke.
• If you feel the air in your home is getting uncomfortable, consider moving (even for a short period of time) to a cleaner, air conditioned environment like a shopping centre."