Fires cause devastation in eastern Australia

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison paid tribute on Tuesday to a firefighter who was killed on Monday when his truck overturned.

Samuel McPaul, 28, who was an expectant father, was the third volunteer firefighter in New South Wales to have died in the past two weeks in battling fires across Australia.

Speaking in Canberra, Morrison said the challenge in combating the fires was "great" but there had been a tremendous response from emergency services.

Morrison's comments came after fire conditions worsened in Victoria and New South Wales states after oppressive heat on Monday mixed with strong winds and lightning strikes.

Australia's wildfires have razed more than 1,000 homes in the past few months, with the most-populous state of New South Wales bearing the brunt.