More than 30 houses have been destroyed or seriously damaged in a bushfire in the Australian state of New South Wales.

Scores of blazes burned across the state and neighbouring Queensland on Tuesday as temperatures climbed as high as 40 degrees  centigrade in some areas.

Authorities have described the fire as the worst start to the fire season on record in some areas, adding that one man had suffered serious burns in a fire which was thought to have been deliberately lit.

They said they were also investigating the fires, which have razed or damaged dozens of houses in the rural town of Rappville and surrounding areas on Tuesday as a possible case of arson.

One Rappville resident who identified himself as Danny Smith told reporters on Wednesday that he had lost everything he had to the bushfires.

Another man was flown to hospital after he suffered serious burns while trying to protect his home.

“For a little while there, we even hit catastrophic fire conditions and now we’ve dropped back into the extreme conditions,” Queensland Deputy Fire Commissioner, John Bolger said.

The bush fires follow record high winter temperatures and sparse rainfall as many areas of south-east Australia are enduring prolonged and severe drought which scientists say is being worsened by climate change.