Here's what you need to know this morning.
Easing conditions after horror weekend
Cooler weather and rain is giving firefighters the chance to catch their breath and strengthen containment lines on the 139 bushfires burning across the state.
All fires have been downgraded to advice level.
Parts of the fire are burning in inaccessible country and heading in a north-westerly direction towards Bombala.
The Rural Fire Service said at least 60 properties were lost across the state this weekend, but expected that number to rise.
The Southern Highlands appear to have been the worst hit with at least 10 properties damaged in the villages of Kangaroo Valley and Wingello, while a 47-year-old man was killed in the Dunns Road fire near Batlow.
More American relief
Another contingent of US firefighters has touched down in Sydney to provide relief and backup for their Australian counterparts.
The group was requested by Australia under a two-way firefighters partnership between the countries which was last activated during the northern California wildfires.
Firefighter Tony Demasters said he didn't think twice before putting his hand up.
"There's a lot of people that have been at it since September, and October through November, so people are tired," he said.
"We're here to actually relieve and lend a hand and give those folks a rest that they direly need."
The group will stay for 35 days.
Milk price rise could save farmers
Dairy farmer Robert Miller said a rise in milk prices to as much as $ 1.75 per litre is one way farmers could recover from devastating bushfires.
He said bushfire-ravaged farmland poses a serious risk to the state's milk supplies, while "the whole of our rural economy is going to be greatly affected".
"We've got no cash reserves. We've been in drought for so long. We can't meet the $10,000-$15,000 a day bill to feed animals," he said.
Robert Miller said dairy farmers already strained by drought are also dealing with blocked roads stopping fodder and fuel supplies.
Fireworks likely cause of Olympic Park fire
Police said fireworks were found near the scene of a grassfire which broke out in Sydney Olympic Park overnight.
Firefighters were called to Marjory Jackson Parkway around 11:30pm and found an area near a car park on fire.
The fire was extinguished but it burned a section of the Wentworth Common.
The fireworks have been taken for forensic examination and police have appealed for any information or vision.
Power tools spark blaze despite total fire ban
A man has been charged after power tools he was using allegedly sparked a fire at Marsden Park in Sydney's north-west on Sunday.
Fire and Rescue NSW crews were called to South Street around 2:00pm after bush and grassland caught alight, destroying almost 25 hectares.
Firefighters were able to contain the blaze without loss of property or injury.
A 54-year-old man was charged with failing to comply with a total fire ban order by using a grinder and welder outside.
He is due to appear in Mt Druitt Local Court in February.
