How to Protect Yourself From Smoke Haze During Bushfire Season

Above average rainfall means there is a higher risk of bushfires.

This picture shows smoke filling the sky as Sydney is enveloped in a thick bank of hazardous bushfire smoke forcing authorities in Australia's largest city to scale back controlled forest burning nearby. Saeed Khan/Getty Images

Health organisations and fire services have urged Australians to look after themselves and be aware of extra pollutants in the air as hazard-reduction burns occur around the country.

Controlled burning has begun ahead of the bushfire season from Oct. 1, when warm and dry conditions create a heightened fire risk.