Sydney fireworks on despite wildfire risk

Many cities across Australia cancel New Year’s Eve festivities

Sydney will set off its iconic New Year’s Eve fireworks after being granted an exemption to a total fire ban yesterday, with other Australian cities canceling their celebrations due to a worsening wildfire risk.

Pressure had built for Sydney’s spectacle to be scrapped before the New South Wales Rural Fire Service approved the event. The popular celebrations are expected to attract around a million people to Sydney’s harbour front and generate 130 million Australian dollars for the state’s economy. An estimated one billion people worldwide watched last year’s display on TV.

New South Wales — Australia’s most populous state — has bore the brunt of wildfires that have killed 10 people and razed more than 1,000 homes in the past few months. Of the 97 fires burning across New South Wales yesterday, 43 were not yet contained. A total fire ban was in place in Sydney, Canberra and other places.

In Victoria, Australia’s second-most populous state, wildfires forced thousands of residents and holidaymakers to evacuate. Melbourne, Victoria’s capital, peaked at 41 degrees Celsius yesterday, with areas southwest of the city reaching 44C.