Amanda Spratt is taking appropriate steps to prepare for evacuation due to the wildfires that have ravaged the area around Sydney, Australia Mitchelton Scott, who is currently training at home in the Blue Mountains area for her fourth consecutive win in the Santos Women's Tour Down Under in January. ...Rider told Cycling News that there has been no call for evacuation yet, but that he is packing his bags to leave at any time.

"There's no evacuation call yet, but we're packing our suitcases and ready to leave whenever we need to," Spratt said. 'The important thing is that everyone stays safe.'

Australia has been battling wildfires for months due to hot, dry weather conditions. Last week, average temperatures hit 41°C (41°F), and extreme heat waves and prolonged drought have resulted in very dry conditions. Temperatures had begun to drop, but are expected to rise again over the weekend. [Since September, wildfires have killed at least nine people and destroyed hundreds of homes. They have reportedly burned 37,000 square kilometers in five states, including New South Wales and South Australia, and have had a devastating effect on the nation's wildlife.

Currently, more than 100 fires are reported in New South Wales, 50 of which are yet to be extinguished.

Spratt lives in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, where large fires have threatened several towns. Spratt said that her area has not been evacuated, but that there is a significant amount of smoke in the air and she is unable to train on her street.

"I've been training and building my base, but I live in the Blue Mountains. 'But I live in the Blue Mountains. [I can't train outside every day because some days the smoke is so bad. They say exercising in it is like smoking 100 cigarettes, so I have to drive somewhere else to start training or train indoors."

Mitchelton Scott is an Australian-registered men's and women's World Tour player whose team shared a donation page set up for the New South Wales Regional Fire Service and the CFS Foundation to support volunteers and emergency firefighters at risk from wildfires.