At the height of last summer's bushfires, Alan Nichols vividly remembers racing out of his holiday unit, loaded up with essentials.

A fire was rapidly approaching Malua Bay on the New South Wales South Coast and the thick smoke from the looming firestorm was making it hard to breathe.

"It was all dark, as if it was night-time, smoke everywhere," he said.

"It hurt my eyes just to be outside.

"My lungs were going, sort of solid."

Alongside other fellow holidaymakers, Mr Nichols spent New Year's Eve trapped on the beach watching homes burst into flames.

By the time he made it home to Canberra, a heavy cough had set in — coinciding with the thick smoke haze blanketing much of the east coast of Australia.

"We weren't able to have the cooling going because it was pumping the smoke in," Mr Nichols said.

"There was just no relief."

Read the full article on the ABC News website, featuring Dr Arnagretta Hunter