News: Australia bushfires: New South Wales declares state of emergency

                         

A NSW Rural Fire Service volunteer puts out a fire near the Monky Creek Cafe in the town of
Bell, in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, NSW, Australia Photo: EPA

Firefighters are continuing to battle some of the most destructive wildfires ever to strike Australia's most populous state,

According to Foxnews, the Rural Fire Service says one man has died and more than 200 homes have been destroyed in New South Wales, while more than 120 others have been damaged. The state Premier has now declared a state of emergency.

Firefighters have managed to control 61 of more than 100 fires that threaten towns surrounding Sydney.

Of those, fifteen continue to burn out of control, including a blaze near Lithgow town, west of Sydney. The blaze is burning on a 300-kilometer front and has been given the highest danger ranking by the fire service.

                   

Five Australian children were reunited with their parents after their grandparents helped them dramatically escape from blazing bush fires by clinging to a wooden jetty for three hours. Grandfather Tim Holmes alongside his wife and and his daughter's five children had to shelter in the sea to survive the potentially deadly inferno that raged on the shore.Picture: AP Photo/Holmes Family

Authorities expect it will continue to burn for days, as higher temperatures and winds are expected to intensify the danger. Investigators are examining the origins of several of more than 100 fires that have threatened towns in the area in recent days.