Cool weather lifts Australian firefighters

Cooler weather conditions are providing relief for firefighters battling about 80 blazes in the Australian state of New South Wales.

Record high temperatures combined with strong winds kept a number of blazes burning late into Sunday night.

A holiday cottage was destroyed, but there are no other reports of damage to property. Firefighters across the state are being helped by cooler weather and are hopeful expected rain will douse the remnants of the weekend's fires ahead of a further heat wave forecast for later in the week.

Shane Fitzsimmons, Commissioner, New South Wales Rural Fire Service, said, "The condition is changing today. As a matter of fact, the moderation in the weather is clearly the biggest factor out there, and there's even the prospect of some shower activity moving across that fire ground today."

Firefighters in Australia are battling 140 blazes across New South Wales as scorching temperatures and strong winds continue to complicate efforts.