Updated Dec. 5, 2019 12:24 PM
As dry conditions and gusty winds continue to fuel the wildfires in eastern Australia, health concerns are growing for residents and visitors in the region.
The number of wildfires in New South Wales continues to climb. At 10:30 p.m. local time on Thursday, the New South Wales Rural Fire Service said that 63 of the 110 fires burning in New South Wales were still not contained.
Smoke haze from wildfires fills the skyline in Sydney, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2019. The annual Australian fire season normally peaks during the Southern Hemisphere summer but has started early after an unusually warm and dry winter. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
In addition to putting property at risk of being destroyed, the fires are producing smoke that is contributing to unhealthy levels of air quality.
The air quality has reached "hazardous" level, the worst level on the country's air quality index, several times this week.
The Australian Associated Press reported that some doctors have expressed concern with the symptoms patients have been reporting, including nasal and sinus issues and sore throats.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the thick smoke has closed many public and private schools across the area. Operations of some schools were totally ceased due to immediate proximity to some of the burning blazes.
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As the fires continued to send plumes of smoke into the air, elite golfers from all over the world converged on Sydney this week to participate in the Australian Open.
Asthma sufferer Ryan Chisnall, a native of New Zealand, donned a mask on the course during round one on Thursday afternoon.
The Australian bushfires are wreaking havoc on a golf tournament in Australia -- one player was forced to don a face mask and another complained of burning eyes and coughing fits cnn.it/2LooSAb
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Australian golfer Matt Jones said that the air quality during his morning round was also "not good at all," and that the smoke made it difficult to see his golf ball, according to CNN.
With no end in sight to the burning blazes and no change in the weather pattern, poor air quality is expected to continue into the weekend.
The wind looks like it may continue to funnel the smoke of the nearby fires into the region even into early next week. However, an incoming high pressure system may help to lessen the air quality woes.
Correction: This article previously stated that golfer Ryan Chisnall is a native of Australia. It has been updated to reflect that he is a native of New Zealand.
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