NEW SOUTH WALES, Australia - Fires raging out of control in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) have merged into what firefighters dubbed a "mega fire", escalating the destruction of the country's worst fire season on record.
More than 2.1 million hectares (5.1 million acres) have been scorched, 688 homes destroyed, and six people killed since fires erupted across the state in September.
Greg Allan, spokesman for the NSW Rural Fire Service (RSF), said 87 separate fires were burning throughout the state on Sunday.
Cooler weather and more favourable wind conditions have assisted firefighters in containing many of these blazes throughout the day, but about 50 remain out of control, including the Gospers Mountain "mega fire" near Sydney's northwest outskirts.
"Crews today have worked to slow the spread of fire under the more favourable conditions of easterly winds and undertake back burning where they can ahead of worsening conditions on Tuesday," Allan said.
Temperatures are expected to hit the high 30s to low 40s throughout the state on Tuesday with westerly winds returning, which threatens to place large parts of the state under "severe fire danger".
The worst of Australia's fire season usually comes in the mid-summer month of January.
"It was a very fast, very early, very destructive season," Allan told Al Jazeera. "In fact, the amount of hectares already burned is more than the previous three seasons combined, and the season is not over yet."
RSF is the world's largest volunteer firefighting service. Allan said about 2,200 volunteer firefighters and support crews are right now working to save homes, lives and forests throughout NSW.
"They've already done an amazing effort," he said. "They're all very tired, but it goes to show the willingness and the commitment of our volunteers to support not only their local communities but travelling around the state to support residents and communities elsewhere."
These volunteer units have received assistance from other government departments and interstate fire agencies.
Firefighting specialists have also been flown in from Canada, the United States and New Zealand to assist local crews with planning and logistics.
But a continuing drought that has devastated much of Australia has driven the spread of fires.
"Very high temperatures, strong winds, low humidity, coupled with the ongoing drought and the dryness of the land certainly hasn't helped," Allan said, adding that water shortages in some areas have also been an obstacle for fire crews.(FA)