Sydney: Sydney faced "catastrophic" fire conditions on Saturday as a record heatwave exacerbated more than 100 blazes burning across Australia's most populous state. New South Wales has declared a state of emergency amid the heatwave, which has produced the hottest day on record and fanned bushfires along Australia's eastern coastline, smothering Sydney in smoke. Saturday's catastrophic warning for greater Sydney, the highest level of danger, means fires can spread rapidly and are extremely difficult to control. It is the second such warning for the city this season.

"Catastrophic fire danger is as bad as it gets," New South Wales rural fire service commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said. There is concern that an expected southerly wind change will bring erratic fire conditions, he said. The crisis has caused road closures and authorities have urged motorists to avoid travel, disrupting holiday plans for Sydneysiders hoping to leave the city for a summer break.