Tourists advised to avoid Australia's Blue Mountains

Australia's Blue Mountains Lithgow & Oberon Tourism (BMLOT) chairman Randall Walker advised tourism operators on Wednesday to warn visitors away from the Blue Mountains region due to bushfires. The recommendation came after fire conditions for Wednesday were forecast to be severe to extreme. "The risks we face over the coming days should not be underestimated," Walker said in a statement. "It is our paramount mission to ensure that no visitors to our region are injured due to bushfires." The Lithgow and Mt Victoria fires in the region are still burning. The local tourism body had previously recommended accommodation providers to defer bookings. The National Parks and Wildlife Service and Blue Mountains City Council have closed all parks, reserves, lookouts and camping grounds. Only visitor information centers at Echo Point and Glenbrook remain open to provide appropriate instructions to visitors already in the Blue Mountains, BMLOT said.