Residents of the Northern Territory’s Tennant Creek have been told to prepare as a major bushfire heads for the outback town. Strong winds pushed the Barkly fire towards the town, and the conditions haven’t eased much… Wind gusts of up to 50km/hour and high fuel loads have provoked “intense fire behaviour,” Deputy Chief Fire Officer Josh Fischer says, and that makes things difficult for those working to contain the blaze. The Territory’s had a tough start to the bushfire season, with multiple fires burning this year. Authorities say high fuel loads caused by 3 years of La Niña could prompt up to 80% of the NT to burn as the dryer/hotter El Nino climate driver takes hold… Meanwhile, Sydneysiders suffered through “very poor” air quality yesterday – authorities said burn-offs around the city’s outskirts caused a smoke haze to drift over that could last for days.