Residents of the Sydney area were preparing Monday to face a "catastrophic" because of the risk of renewed fires that led the authorities to declare a state of emergency.

For the first time, the largest city in Australia and its surroundings face the highest level of fire alarm ever issued. Authorities have warned that "lives and homes will be in danger".

"Nothing is built or designed to withstand the kind of catastrophic situation that can be expected," said Shane Fitzsimmons, head of the New South Wales State Fire Department, which includes Sydney.

>> To read: "Deadly fires in eastern Australia"

High temperatures and strong winds, expected on Tuesday, November 12, are expected to fuel bush fires, prompting the state's prime minister, Gladys Berejiklian, to declare a state of emergency for a period of seven days.

More than 350 schools will be closed and the army has been tasked with providing logistical support to the firefighters.

Dozens of uncontrolled fires in the north of the state have killed three people since Friday, destroyed more than 150 homes and forced thousands to flee.

In recent months, about 11,000 square kilometers - the equivalent of Jamaica or Kosovo - have been burned, according to the New South Wales Fire Department.

Scientists worried

On Tuesday, the most affected areas are expected to be the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, the Hunter Valley wine region in the north, and the Illawarra region south of the city.

In the town of Rainbow Flat, north of Sydney, emergency services were busy Monday cutting branches of trees and reopening roads to evacuate livestock from areas that could be devastated by bushfires.

Some regions, already affected by the fires of recent days, are preparing to face this new threat.

In the coastal town of Old Bar, north of Sydney, firefighters were back to burn pockets that had not been spared by fires. "We are burning them so that it is no longer a threat in the coming days," said Brett Slavin, a firefighter.

After being forced to evacuate, 82-year-old Shirley Murphy has returned home and admits she is "lucky" that her house is still standing.

Such fires occur every year on the huge island-continent during the spring and summer in Australia. If this start of the season is dramatic, scientists are worried for the next few months. According to them, climate change and weather cycles generate high temperatures, strong winds and drought.

With AFP