Australia bushfires: State of emergency declared in New South Wales

The Australian state of New South Wales on Monday declared a seven-day state of emergency owing to the threat from deadly bushfires that have claimed three lives and destroyed more than 100 homes.

Rural Fire Service has issued a "catastrophic" fire warning for the greater Sydney region, making it the worst threat level ever issued for Sydney under the current system introduced in 2009. The city is home to about 65% of New South Wales' 7.95 million residents, reported CNN.

"The risk is real. We've seen the devastation already. And we're shaping up to face conditions that are worse than what we've seen already in New South Wales this season," New South Wales Rural Fire Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said.

As of Monday morning, 64 fires were burning across New South Wales, dozens of schools in fire risk regions have been closed, an estimated 350 koalas have died in the fires and at least a dozen are being treated for injuries.