Australian bushfire smoke obscures skies half a world away

[SYDNEY] Smoke from deadly bushfires that have devastated Australia has now spread halfway across the world, darkening skies in Argentina and beyond.

As Sydney and Canberra on Wednesday faced another day of toxic haze shrouding the skyline, US weather satellite captured the smoke crossing South America and spreading out over Buenos Aires before it drifted into the Atlantic Ocean - some 11,793km east of Sydney - according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

More than 10 million hectares have burned, which is about the size of Indiana and five times larger than Wales in the UK. The fires - which have killed at least 24 people across Australia - are so large they are generating their own weather systems and causing dry lightning strikes that in turn ignite more blazes.

The Sydney Opera House and harbour bridge were barely visible on Wednesday through the smoke wafting in from bushfires that have devastated huge swathes of the Blue Mountains and other national parks to the north and west of the city.

The air quality in national capital Canberra, which at times has been the worst in the world in recent weeks, was deemed unhealthy by AirVisual.

As Australians awoke on Wednesday, there were almost 120 blazes burning in New South Wales state alone, with about 50 not contained.

South Australia state is facing "extreme" fire danger on Wednesday. Authorities are warning that dangerous conditions will return to the nation's blaze-ravaged southeast on Friday, when the temperature in Canberra is forecast to reach 39 deg C.

More than 1,500 homes have been destroyed in New South Wales alone this fire season and the tally is rising daily as the fires continue to burn and authorities assess damage. The University of Sydney estimates that 480 million animals have been killed by the bushfires in the state since September.

The Australian government has pledged A$2 billion (S$1.9 billion) over two years to assist recovery efforts, focused on repairing infrastructure and boosting mental-health care. Prominent Australian residents, including actor Russell Crowe, called for more action on climate change to mitigate the risks of more devastating infernos.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has faced criticism for his belated response in pooling national resources to combat the fires. He's signaling his conservative government won't toughen policies to combat climate change, which has been blamed for exacerbating a crippling drought that's helped create tinderbox conditions.

BLOOMBERG