Authorities in Australia's Queensland and New South Wales states declared a state of emergency on Monday as the country's eastern region prepared for "catastrophic" fire conditions. 

People in areas deemed at the greatest risk were urged to evacuate before forecast unprecedented hot and windy conditions on Tuesday, which officials fear will fan fires already burning. 

Three people were killed and more than 150 homes were destroyed over the weekend by bushfires in northern New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland.

Bushfires are a common and deadly threat in Australia's hot, dry summers but the current severe outbreak, well before the summer peak, has caught many by surprise. 

Australia's most populous city avoided the worst of the weekend conditions, but authorities have raised the forecast for greater Sydney region to catastrophic fire danger for Tuesday. It is the first time the city has been rated at that level since new fire danger ratings were introduced in 2009. 

Temperatures in greater Sydney are set to soar on Tuesday to more than 34 degrees Celsius (93 degrees Fahrenheit), with strong, dry winds. 

Home to more than five million people, Sydney is ringed by large areas of bushland, much of which remains tinder dry following little rain across the country's east coast in recent months. 

(All images via VCG.) 

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