Australia Wildfires: Firefighters Struggle to Contain Bushfires in New South Wales

On Sunday, firefighters struggled to put out fierce wildfires that are ravaging New South Wales, Australia. 

Firefighters tried to extinguish the blaze, which stretched along 190-miles. The fires are some of the most destructive wildfires to ever hit New South Wales, which is Australia's most populous state, The Associated Press reports. 

Officials warned that high winds and temperatures could increase the level of fire danger for the next several days. 

According to Australia's Rural Fire Service, fires have killed a man, destroyed 208 homes and damaged 122 others since Thursday. Firefighters took advantage of the milder weather on Sunday--the temperature dropped from 100 on Thursday night to 61 on Sunday-- to reduce the number of fires that posed a threat to towns around Sydney, fire service spokesman Matt Sun said.  

Fifteen fires continued to ravage the Australian landscape, including fires near Lithgow, west of Sydney, which was given the highest danger ranking. The fire near Lithgow is expected to burn for days. Authorities have advised several nearby towns to consider evacuating. 

The Defence Department is investigating whether there was a link between the Lithgow fire, which started Wednesday, and military exercises that involved the use of explosives at a training range nearby that occurred on the same day. Sun said that the cause of the fire is under investigation, and that any determination on its cause will be made public. Arson investigators are examining the cause of more than 100 fires that have ravaged towns near Sydney in recent days. 

Shane Fitzsimmons, the commissioner of the Rural Fire Service in New South Wales, said that the weather is expected to worsen on Monday and Tuesday. The wildfires have been extraordinarily severe and early, as the fire season usually begins in December, which is the start of the Southern Hemisphere's summer. 

Wildfires are common in Australia's summer months, but the unusually dry winter and very hot spring have incited fires earlier than usual. 

Residents in threatened towns are encouraged to evacuate due to the potential deadliness of the wildfires. Wildfires killed 173 people and destroyed more than 2,000 homes in neighboring Victoria State in February 2009.