Australia swelters through 'scorching' heat lifting bushfire risk

FILE PHOTO: New South Wales Rural Fire Service firefighter Elisabeth Goh monitors a hazard reduction burn in Sydney, Australia, September 10, 2023. REUTERS/Cordelia Hsu/File Photo

SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australia's southeast on Sunday sweltered in a heat wave that raised the risk of bushfires and led authorities to issue fire bans for large swathes of New South Wales state.

The nation's weather forecaster said temperatures would be up to 12 degrees Celsius (53.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above average in some areas, with Sydney, the capital of Australia's most populous state New South Wales, set to hit 36 C (96.8 F).