Firefighting helicopter crashes near Sydney in Australia: media

SYDNEY, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- A firefighting helicopter crashed 230 km south of Sydney while battling a wildfire on Friday, a spokesperson from Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority told local media.

With unseasonably warm weather and strong winds making conditions difficult, emergency services have been struggling to contain dozens of wildfires across Australia's State of New South Wales (NSW).

According to a NSW police spokesman, "significant resources" have been sent the area where the Kawasaki BK117 aircraft went down.

A local Australian Naval base, the HMAS Albatross, is also believed to be providing assistance.