Wildfire Smoke Killed Hundreds of Australians Last Summer

A firefighter conducts back-burning measures to secure residential areas from encroaching bushfires in the Central Coast, some 90–110 kilometres north of Sydney on Dec. 10, 2019. SAEED KHAN/AFP via Getty Images

The smoke from the recent wildfires caused 445 premature deaths and thousands of hospital admissions with an estimated health impact of $2 billion.

Smoke from Australia’s Black Summer blazes killed hundreds of people and had an unprecedented $2 billion health impact, with experts warning it will take years for wildfire survivors to recover from the trauma.