Conditions are expected to worsen this weekend.

Despite rain falling over Christmas in Australia, it has had little impact on efforts to contain the bushfires raging in areas of the country. About 70 bushfires continue to burn throughout New South Wales despite a reasonable amount of rain falling in the area on Christmas Day. Conditions are expected to worsen this weekend and an impending heatwave means that firefighters will likely face bushfires of increasing severity in the coming days. Two bushfires are burning through Australia's Blue Mountains, a mountain range in the western part of New South Wales. The northern of the two fires has burned 1.2 million acres. The amount of rainfall in this area was minimal, forecasters have reported. It's estimated 2,000 firefighters battled the bushfires on Christmas Day, trying to contain the blaze before the peak in temperatures this weekend. The NSW Fire Service advised that while there is a Very High Danger Rating in areas of the state, there are no total fire bans in place. They advised residents to use the time, before the soaring temperatures this weekend, to prepare their properties.