Fires fanned by winds of up to 110 kph (66 mph) destroyed seven homes near Sydney as the bushfire season started early in eastern Australia, fire services said on Sunday, according to Reuters. Several fires burned in New South Wales state as temperatures soared above 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit). The outbreaks followed the driest August since records began in 1900, triggering an early start to the blazes that scorch the country every summer. "It's on the cards that we could see a difficult season," said Bureau of Meteorology spokesman Robert Webb. The southern summer runs from December through February. Four homes were razed around Thirlmere, 85 km (50 miles) southwest of Sydney, and three homes were destroyed near Oakville, about 55 km northwest of Sydney. "We've not had a day like this in September in history," New South Wales Rural Fire Service Commissioner Phil Koperberg told ABC television. "Winds were over 100 kph for much of the day and it was a very, very difficult day for firefighters." Fires also burned in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, further north near Newcastle and in the southern part of the state around Ulladulla on the coast. High winds blew down power lines, knocking out power to more than 100,000 homes in areas in and around Sydney. Conditions started to ease on Sunday night as winds subsided and the temperature dropped. Koperberg said it was not yet clear how the fires started, saying it was likely to have been a combination of factors, including downed power lines. Bushfires occur naturally in Australia, but every year arsonists are also blamed for starting scores of blazes.
