1/10Firefighters spray foam on smoldering bush to help reduce reflash fires after a blaze swept through Faulconbridge, west of Sydney, Oct. 24, 2013.
2/10Rural Fire Service frefighters take a break after trying to extinguish a fire approaching homes near the Blue Mountains suburb of Faulconbridge, west of Sydney, Oct. 24, 2013.
3/10Firefighters control flames during hazard reduction in Bilpin, Australia, Oct. 23, 2013.
4/10A female Rural Fire Service firefighter walks through a burnt area after trying to extinguish a small fire approaching homes near the Blue Mountains suburb of Blackheath, west of Sydney, Oct. 23, 2013.
5/10"Будинок преси" у Грозному. Звідси вибивали бойовиків.
6/10A firefighter tries to control flames near houses in Bilpin, west of Sydney, Oct. 22, 2013.
7/10A firefighter watches as smoke covers a road in Bilpin, west of Sydney, Oct. 22, 2013.
8/10Local resident Alan Seaman looks inside a safe in the remains of his home that was destroyed by a fire in the Blue Mountains suburb of Winmalee, west of Sydney, Oct. 21, 2013.
9/10Houses can be seen behind a burnt-out car and bicycle after a fire destroyed them in the Blue Mountains suburb of Winmalee, west of Sydney, Oct. 21, 2013.
10/10In this photo provided by the New South Wales Rural Fire Service, smoke rises from a fire near Lithgow, west of Sydney, Oct. 17, 2013.
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Australian authorities say wildfires burning through the southeastern state of New South Wales have destroyed around 100 homes near Sydney and left one man dead.
Officials said Friday that around 100 fires are burning, fanned by unusually high temperatures and high winds, about a third of which are still uncontained. Hundreds of people spent Thursday night in evacuation centers on the outskirts of Sydney.
The wildfires raging through New South Wales have already destroyed at least 100 homes near Sydney.
Australian authorities warn that more properties were likely to fall victim as the fires burned out of control.
“The fire activity that we were being reported was certainly extreme. Certainly we had flame heights in excess of 20 to 30 meters,” said one firefighter.
Location of wildfires in southern Australia
The one reported death so far was of a 63-year-old man who had a heart attack as he tried to defend his home.
Some areas in the Blue Mountains were expected to reopen as the weather turned milder on Friday.
The anticipated change is all too late for those now struggling to come to terms with the loss of their homes and possessions.
Even as the weather starts to change, officials say conditions are still dangerous.
Some information in this report was provided by Reuters.
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