Australians warned worst bushfires may be yet to come

Sydney is facing a "catastrophic" fire threat, authorities said on Sunday, as firefighters in eastern Australia raced to prepare for worsening conditions after ferocious bushfires devastated communities. Fires have killed three people and razed more than 150 homes since Friday, but cooler wear overnight provided a welcome reprieve for firefighters and residents.

Several blazes still out of control

Authorities were assessing dam on Sunday, with more than 100 fires still burning across New South Wales and Queensland, including several blazes that remained out of control. Wider swas of states -- including greater Sydney -- are w bracing for perilous fire conditions predicted for coming days, as is Western Australia state.

It is first time Sydney has been warned of a "catastrophic" fire danger, highest possible level, since gring system was introduced in 2009. Massive fires tore through several towns on Friday and Saturday. mayor of Glen Innes, where two people died, said residents were traumatised and still coming to terms with ir losses.

" fire was as high as 20 foot (six metres) and raging with 80 kilometres-an-hour (50 miles-an-hour) winds," Carol Sparks told national brocaster ABC.

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Possibility of more missing people

Five people reported missing have been found, but unpredictable nature of disaster means officials have t ruled out possibility that ors could still be missing, NSW Rural Fire Service spokesman Greg Allan told AFP. In Old Bar, which was spared worst when wind changed direction, hectares of bushland h turned charcoal and small pockets of flames continued to smoulder.

Peter McKellar, 75, was clearing debris from his property as his neighbour's home sat in ruins. " firies (firefighters) saved ours," he told AFP. "y are doing a wonderful job. y're angels." High temperatures, low humidity and strong winds forecast from middle of week are predicted to fuel blazes that authorities have warned y will be unable to contain ahe of time.

"We are ramping up for probably ar 50 trucks full of crews to be deployed into New South Wales on Monday night ahe of conditions on Tuesday," NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shan Fitzsimmons told reporters in Taree, one of worst-hit areas. "We have seen gravity of situation unfold... What we can expect is those sorts of conditions to prevail across a much broer geographic area as we he into Tuesday."

State of emergency declared in Queensland

In Queensland, where a state of emergency has been declared, more than 1,200 firefighters were battling over 50 active fires on Sunday.

"Queensland does t usually have a fire season like we've experienced this year and last year," Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told reporters.

With thousands of people forced to flee from ir homes, Australia's government was offering immediate emergency assistance payments of up to 1,000 Australian dollars (USD 685) to those affected and extended financial support for anyone unable to work as a result. Many residents are w returning to ir scorched communities to assess extent of fire-inflicted dam, amid warnings it could take months for m to rebuild ir lives. 

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Australian PM heckled at a fire command centre

Emotions were running high at an evacuation centre in Taree, with one man breaking down in tears as he was embraced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

"People are under a lot of pressure," Morrison told reporters. " level of optimism, despite circumstances, is quite inspiring." Morrison, whose government has downplayed threat of climate change, was also heckled about issue at a fire command centre in nearby Wauchope.

"Climate change is real, can't you see," Australian newspaper reported a man as yelling before he was escorted out of building. 

‘Tough fire season’

Bushfires are common in Australia but country has experienced a dramatic start to what scientists predict will be a tough fire season -- with climate change and wear cycles contributing to dangerous combination of strong winds, high temperatures and dry conditions.

current disaster has t wreaked human devastation of Australia's worst recent bushfires, Black Saturday fires that killed 173 people in Victoria state in 2009, with some experts attributing that to better early warning systems. But Ross Brstock, from Centre for Environmental Manment of Bushfires at University of Wollongong, described situation as "unprecedented" for affected regions, which have rarely -- if ever -- experienced such severe fires. "Sly, given wear forecast for coming week, crisis may worsen and extend southward into landscapes primed to burn via extreme dryness," he said.

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