Australian firefighters try to control bushfires ahead of hot days

FILE PHOTO: The haze from bushfires obscures the sun setting above the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia, December 6, 2019. REUTERS/John Mair

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Firefighters in eastern Australia used easing weather conditions on Sunday to bring bushfires under control ahead of forecast of soaring temperatures for next week.

There were 96 fires burning in New South Wales, home to Australia's largest city of Sydney, with only about a half contained and more than 1,600 firefighters deployed to do back burning and create containment lines.