SYDNEY, March 17 (Xinhua) -- The Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) is seeing extreme heat, with temperatures in some areas expected to near 40 degrees Celsius and fire risks to rise during weekends.

Australia's meteorological services provider Weatherzone said on Thursday that two separate tongues of hot air are likely to continue impacting the eastern and southeastern regions of the country in the coming days.

"Sydney's Observatory Hill weather station is forecast to reach 30 degrees Celsius or higher each day between Thursday and Sunday. This would be the first time in 165 years of records Sydney has seen four consecutive days at or above 30 degrees Celsius in autumn," said the Weatherzone.

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) issued a statement on Friday, forecasting that the temperature in western Sydney is likely to reach 39 degrees Celsius on Sunday.

"The hot, dry and windy weather is of concern to areas of inland New South Wales and Victoria, with many fires ongoing. Due to this, fires could become uncontrollable this weekend," the BOM warned.

NSW Rural Fire Service said that as of 9:00 a.m. local time on Friday, there were 26 bush and grass fires burning state-wide, with 10 not yet contained. Enditem

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