HUNDREDS OF SCHOOLS CLOSED AS SYDNEY BRACES FOR FIRE DANGER

More than 600 schools were closed on Tuesday as Sydney and nearby regions in the eastern Australian state of New South Wales brace for what officials are calling “catastrophic” fire conditions.

New South Wales, which has seen dozens of devastating bushfires since last week, has declared a state of emergency with authorities preparing for catastrophic conditions Tuesday, with hot and dry weather, temperatures in the high 30s [Celsius] and strong winds of up to 80 kilometres per hour.

A risk of “catastrophic fire danger” has been declared for the first time in New South Wales, including the greater Sydney area and most of its outskirts as well as some of the city’s inner suburbs.

The state education department has said more than 600 primary to high schools are closed across New South Wales, the most populous state in Australia.

Some of the fire danger region includes national parks, threatening local wildlife. According to Koala Conservation Australia, fires in the past weeks have already killed 350 koalas and destroyed few major koala habitats, especially in the state’s north-east.

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian told residents on Tuesday morning to heed the warnings of authorities and head for safety.

On Tuesday, there were 52 fires still burning - half of which are uncontained - across the state.

Three blazes have been categorized at noon as “emergency,” the highest in the alert level, which means the fire is spreading quickly and it is too late to leave.

According to Risk Frontiers, a research organization, around Sydney alone, there’s 100,000 addresses “at risk of bushfires”.