Bushfires that ripped through NSW in catastrophic conditions have all but wiped out a small village and there are fears 100 more buildings have been destroyed across the state.
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NSW Rural Fire Service commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons says the extent of property damage, which includes houses as well as other structures such as sheds, is "significant".
"We could be talking about another hundred buildings being added to the state tally so far this season," he told reporters on Sunday.
Most of the losses were from the huge Gospers Mountain blaze northwest of Sydney, the Green Wattle Creek fire southwest of the city and the Currowan bushfire on the South Coast.
Emergency warnings weren't downgraded until the early hours of Sunday morning.
"We are expecting another heavy toll unfortunately with estimates that property loss could be in the dozens of buildings including homes, outbuildings, sheds and businesses," Mr Fitzsimmons said.
The areas hardest hit include Lithgow and along the Bells Line of Road in the upper Blue Mountains, and the Wollondilly Shire villages of Buxton and Bargo, which were ravaged for the second time in three days.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian says "there's not much left" in the small town of Balmoral, southwest of Sydney.
Balmoral, in the Wingecarribee Shire Council area, consists of about 150 houses with a population of some 400 people.
The Currawong blaze north of Batemans Bay also raced through communities near Nerriga on Saturday, Mr Fitzsimmons said.
One elderly man unaccounted for in the Dargan area east of Lithgow was located on Sunday morning "safe and sound", the RFS tweeted.
The man was at an evacuation centre the entire time.
Crews are expected to experience more favourable weather conditions in coming days as they work to limit the spread of some 110 fires, of which almost 60 are uncontained.
Mr Fitzsimmons said firefighters would take advantage of better conditions this week, which should include temperatures in the mid-20s, higher humidity and easterly winds.
The biggest focus will be on preparing vulnerable Blue Mountains communities ahead of hotter and more challenging conditions returning next weekend.
"With the easing weather conditions today, crews are working hard to strengthen containment lines," the RFS said in a statement on Sunday.
"Planning is underway for large scale back burns today in the Blue Mountains to contain the Grose Valley Fire."
The Greater Sydney basin didn't reach the forecast catastrophic conditions on Saturday because heavy bushfire smoke acted as insulation to reduce temperatures.
The heavy smoke - which has been causing hazardous air pollution for months - also mitigated the strengthening winds.
"It was a blessing in terms of preventing the catastrophic conditions reaching their forecast level in the Greater Sydney area," Mr Fitzsimmons said.
Firefighters suffered from heat exhaustion on Saturday, with one crew in the Dargan area overcome by chlorine fumes after a building containing the chemical caught alight.
A number of firefighters were taken to hospital for treatment.
Mr Fitzsimmons warned the worse was still to come this summer, with "far more risk and exposure as we head through the hotter months".
"We're not expecting any meaningful rain to start bringing a meaningful easing of conditions on these fire grounds until late January or early February," he said.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sunday apologised for holidaying in Hawaii while much of Australia burned.
"If you had your time over again and you had the benefit of hindsight we would have made different decisions," Mr Morrison said of the decision to go ahead with his family holiday.
"I apologise ... I accept the criticism."
Australian Associated Press
