Dozens of homes have been razed, thousands of animals killed and, of course, most tragically, people have lost their lives fighting the massive fires that have ripped through NSW and Victoria.

A bit of smoke pales in comparison to the enormity of those tragedies but, at the same time, it's a real health risk that people in our region should take seriously.

The Border Mail's team of reporters has attended a number of community meetings in the past nine days and one message that has been consistent is that these fires aren't likely to just continue burning for days, or weeks, but months. That means the particularly thick smoke that we've encountered in the past few days could be a semi-permanent fixture until autumn.

In the past week on the Border, we've seen junior cricket matches and tournaments scrapped and postponed, Cold Chisel's performance at All Saints cancelled and airline passengers forced on to Melbourne-bound buses as planes could not fly in or out of Albury's airport.

Ambulance Victoria's acting director of emergency management Justin Dunlop said yesterday that paramedics have seen an increase in triple zero calls from people with breathing problems.

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Late last week, when accurate calculations were still being recorded, Albury had an air quality index reading of 1010, more than five times the 200 reading the NSW Department of Health deems hazardous to human health. The past few days have arguably been worse.

'If you are showing signs of a serious smoke inhalation injury you should be assessed immediately by a medical professional," Mr Dunlop said.

Our greatest concern remains with those who've been in the line of fire in the Upper Murray but we urge those of you closer to the Twin Cities to take care in these smoky conditions, too.

And if you're driving, turn your lights on.