Australian officials say a routine military drill is responsible for sparking one of the largest of the dozens of fires that have ravaged the country's most populous state.
Investigators say an explosion during a live-fire military exercise ignited bushland near the city of Lithgow, west of Sydney. The blaze has burned 47,000 hectares of land and destroyed several houses.
Mark Greenhill, the mayor of the nearby town of Blue Mountains, said he hopes to see a transparent investigation.
Though the danger has eased somewhat with the onset of cooler weather, more than 60 fires are still burning in New South Wales state, with many still raging out of control. Since late last week, the fires have destroyed over 200 homes and led to the death of one person.