Auckland sunset 'illuminates' smoke and dust from Australia's wildfires

Wednesday, 13 November 2019

Auckland's sunset 'illuminated' smoke and dust blown over the Tasman from the New South Wales fires, according to the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA).

NIWA tweeted footage of the phenomenon on Wednesday evening.

The sunset in #Auckland illuminated some smoke and dust from the #NSWfires 🌇 pic.twitter.com/IpT1KCqxNn

Australian authorities say this is the most dangerous bushfire week the nation has ever seen. Fires are expected to worsen with high winds forecast.

— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) November 13, 2019

Australian firefighters have been battling scores of massive wildfires in drought-stricken New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland since last Friday, aided by 21 Kiwi firefighters sent over by the New Zealand Government.

The fires have claimed three lives, destroyed more than 200 homes and razed more than a million hectares of forest and farmland on Australia's east coast.

**READ MORE:

* Photos: Fires rage across Australia

* Russell Crowe's property among those threatened by Australia's bushfires

NIWA says smoke and dust from the New South Wales wildfires was visible in Auckland on Wednesday evening.

* How Australian bushfires can change weather, create dangerous firefighting conditions**

A week-long state of emergency has been declared in NSW, as well as a total fire ban.

Police are investigating 13 suspicious fires around Sydney they suspect were deliberately lit on Tuesday.

On Monday, NIWA shared footage of how plumes of smoke and dust from the blazes had blown across New Zealand, New Caledonia, and Vanuatu.

5-day animation of smoke & dust from the #NSWfires: another plume is expected to move across New Zealand's North Island late Wednesday 💨

It has also infiltrated New Caledonia and southern Vanuatu. pic.twitter.com/1STQfuh0Od

— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) November 11, 2019