Australia' Sydney chokes as 'mega fire' spreads in forest

The New South Wales Rural Firefighting Service (NSW RFS) headquarters, located in Sydney's West, was evacuated on Tuesday as heavy smoke from nearby bushfires wreaked havoc with the building's alarm systems.

Hazardous smoke levels triggered alarms within the building, forcing the staff to go outside while a number of key personnel remained in the control room to maintain fire response coordination, reports Xinhua news agency.

Multiple other locations across Sydney and surrounds were also evacuated, including buildings at the University of NSW and University of Sydney.