Bushfires threaten homes south of Sydney

Australian firefighters deployed water-bombing aircraft today as they battled fires threatening homes near bushland south of Sydney, a spokesman said.

Fanned by strong winds, two major areas of fire in the south of New South Wales state were burning out of control and expected to blaze for several more days, a spokesman for the state's Rural Fire Service told Reuters.

"We have been using water-bombing aircraft all day," the spokesman said.

Bushfire emergencies have been declared in both areas and local fire bans put in place. Residents in some areas had been warned they should consider leaving their homes, or make plans to stay and defend them against the flames.

More than 100 firefighters had been deployed and around 1,500 hectares of bushland burnt, the spokesman said.

Bushfires are a constant problem in Australia. In February, the southern state of Victoria suffered the worst bushfire disaster in the country's history. More than 170 people were killed.

Experts predict the coming southern summer will also bring bad conditions for fire, and some have suggested climate change may be playing a role.