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New South Wales, Australia, is sweltering in a heatwave and faces an 'extreme bushfire risk'

New South Wales, Australia, sweated through a heatwave on Sunday that increased the risk of bushfires. Authorities issued a fire ban in Sydney's capital.

New South Wales is nearing the end a high-risk bushfire season, which runs until March. The "Black Summer" wildfires of 2019-2020 destroyed an area as large as Turkey and killed over 33 people.

Sydney, Australia's largest city, is expected to reach 37C (98.6F) on Sunday.

Forecasters report that the temperature at Sydney Airport was 29.3C (84.7 F), more than three degrees higher than the average maximum temperature for March.

The forecaster's website warned that "strong winds, hot conditions, and low relative humidities will create extreme fire danger in the greater Sydney area."

According to X, the Rural Fire Service of the State of New York announced that a total ban on fires was in effect for a large swath of the state, including Sydney. This is due to "hot and dry conditions" forecasted.

Bernard Barbetti, an official with the Country Fire Authority, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Sunday that a house was destroyed by a bushfire in Victoria, which was fought by 200 firefighters.

The Australian science agency stated last year that climate change was causing extreme heat to be more frequent in Australia. Australia is a country prone to bushfires with a population of 27 million. (Reporting from Sydney by Sam McKeith, editing by Deepa Babyington)

(source: Reuters)