A combination of temperatures above 40C, low humidity and strong winds have worsened the struggle for the almost 10,000 emergency personnel mobilised to deal with the bushfires in NSW.

ellers to delay their journeys as conditions threaten to intensify the bushfire crisis.
Rising temperatures and strong winds have worsened fires in three states.
Three blazes around Sydney are burning at emergency level, the second highest level of danger after catastrophic.
"We are asking everybody not to travel on roads anywhere near the vicinity of an active fire unless you absolutely have to," Gladys Berejiklian, premier of NSW, said at a news conference.

Image copyright EPA

Image caption Close to 10,000 emergency personnel have been deployed in NSW

A combination of temperatures above 40C, low humidity and strong winds have worsened the struggle for the almost 10,000 emergency personnel mobilised to deal with the bushfires in NSW.
"We are in a period of unbelievable drought and some areas haven't seen rain for more than 12 months", NSW Rural Fire Services Inspector Ben Shepherd told the BBC.
"These fires are likely to continue to spread well past Christmas", he added.
Two volunteer firefighters died on Thursday as they were tackling a large blaze near Sydney. Fires have also been ravaging the states of Victoria and South Australia, where two civilians d

Since September, Australia's bushfire emergency has killed eight people, destroyed more than 700 houses and scorched millions of hectares.

What travel warnings have been issued?

The states of NSW and and South Australia are the focus of the travel warnings.
In NSW, several major roads and highways have been closed, including a section of the Princes Highway.

• A visual guide to the bushfires and extreme heat

As of 16:30 (05:12 GMT), 24 roads and highways in NSW were affected by fire, according to a government website.
Roads have beenproperty owners or business owners, due to specific safety r