Sydney, Feb 17 .- Two people were injured Friday and 15 homes were lost in eastern Australia's New South Wales as firefighters struggled to contain 66 out-of-control bushfires raging through the state, reported ABC news.

The firefighters sustained burn injuries while fighting flames of a gigantic 2,700-hectare fire that also razed 15 houses in Carwoola, a locality 21 km (13 miles) southeast of Canberra, Australia's capital.

"Close all windows, watch for embers, fill up the bath tub and have water prepared and ready to assist should fire take hold outside or inside the property," Greg Allen from the NSW Rural Fire Service appealed to people in affected areas, according to ABC.

Meanwhile, in an update on its website, the RFS asked residents of Hoskinstown, Rossi and Forbes Creek areas to continue monitoring the situation and added that roads to the north of Primrose Valley have been shut down.

The wildfire season in Australia varies according to region and weather conditions; in New South Wales, for example, it usually occurs during the austral spring and summer.

A rise in carbon dioxide emissions has aggravated extreme heat waves in Australia, leading to frequent outbreaks and rapid spread of bushfires.

The worst bushfires in the country were recorded in February 2009 in the southeastern state of Victoria that had killed 173 and injured 414, and burned off a surface area of 4,500 sq km (over 1,700 sq miles). EFE