"People have reached out, got people out of homes, made sure they have got to safety, looked after each other's livestock and animals, talking to each other, [and] putting themselves in harm's way for each other," Mr Morrison told a media conference at Taree on NSW's mid-north coast. "There is a long way to go and Tuesday is looking more difficult." Firefighters continue to battle more than 80 fires across the state. Credit:AAP Premier Gladys Berejiklian, who accompanied Mr Morrison as they toured fire-affected regions near Taree on Sunday, said her government was "here for the long haul" but said the focus would be on supporting people's "immediate needs". [S]ome people are coming here having lost everything or in very traumatised states," Ms Berejiklian said.

So far three are dead, more than 30 are injured, at least 150 homes have been lost and countless roads remain closed around fire-hit areas of northern and eastern NSW. The NSW death toll includes Vivian Chaplain, 69 and George Nole, both from the Glen Innes region, and Julie Fletcher, 63 whose body was found in her burnt-out home north of Taree. The Bureau of Meteorology reports smoke from fires has travelled across the Tasman Sea and can be seen from as far away Brighton on the east coast of New Zealand's south island. 'Dangerous day' Catastrophic fire danger is now forecast for the Greater Sydney and Greater Hunter areas on Tuesday, due to worsening weather conditions.

People in high-risk areas are advised to avoid bushfire-prone areas. "A safer area may be a large town or city, shopping centres or facilities well away from bushland areas," the NSW Rural Fire Service advises. Greater Sydney and Greater Hunter regions have been warned of catastrophic fire danger on Tuesday. Credit:Wolter Peeters Schools in identified high-risk areas will be closed and will notify affected students, but the NSW RFS advised people to start making arrangements now. "If a fire starts and takes hold during Catastrophic fire danger conditions, lives and homes will be at risk," the NSW RFS said.

"Catastrophic is the highest level of bush fire danger. Homes are not designed to withstand a fire under these conditions." This is the first time since new Fire Danger Ratings were introduced in 2009 that Catastrophic fire danger has been forecast for Sydney. The NSW Rural Fire Service has also imposed a state-wide total fire ban for Monday and Tuesday amid "dangerous fire conditions". The ban will commence at midnight. The NSW RFS warned more deaths and losses of homes were possible on Tuesday, when temperatures are forecast to climb into the high 30s in parts of the state, including northern NSW and western Sydney.

The fire danger ratings of "severe and extreme" are expected to cover a much broader swath of NSW on Tuesday, extending from the northern parts of the state, to potentially across the Central West, and the greater Sydney and Illawarra region, to the South Coast. NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said the organisation would be "bolstering our numbers in anticipation of Tuesday", as crews of between 500 to 1300 people rotated "on a constant basis". Authorities are making use of "dozens of volunteers, thousands of firefighters, paid firefighters, volunteers, not just from across New South Wales but from across Australia", he said. "Never before have we had 17 concurrent emergency warning fires burning at once all competing desperately for resources, desperately for support, desperately for assistance, and the reality is we simply could not get to every individual."

Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video 'Unquenchable' Opposition leader Anthony Albanese told Fran Kelly on the ABC's Insiders:"To have fatalities, to have so many people missing... my heart goes out to them." The federal government is urging people who have lost their homes and need immediate financial help to contact Centrelink to access disaster recovery payments of $1000 per adult and $400 per child. Co-Director of the National Centre for Research in Bushfire and Arson, Dr Paul Read said these "seemingly unquenchable" fires are feeling increasingly unprecedented and reminiscent of some of Australia's worst.

"Sadly I expect more deaths by dint of [their] sheer size and - despite their best efforts - the stretching of emergency service capabilities," Dr Read said. Loading He also warned the air quality index across NSW, but especially in The Hunter, Central Coast, Sydney and Illawarra, had reached hazardous levels in recent days. Those with respiratory issues would be at risk. Smoke from the Australian fires has also been sighted around Otago and Dunedin in New Zealand's south island. The chief executive of the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC, Richard Thornton, said this fire season had the potential to be devastating.