NSW's emergency services minister has apologised for jetting off to Europe during the bushfire crisis.
David Elliott cut the holiday short and returned on Friday night,admitting his trip was inexcusable.
Nearly 140 bushfires continue to rage across NSW.
Elliot said in a Facebook post on Friday night that his absence during the past week was "inexcusable".
"I should have put my RFS (Rural Fire Service) family first and foremost given the current conditions," he wrote.
"Now it's time to get back to work - The good news is that after tomorrow's [Saturday] extreme weather we should have a week of milder conditions which should provide relief to start the process of containment."
Elliot said on Saturday morning that he would not step down, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.
The incident comes after Prime Minister Scott Morrison made a similar apology for travelling to Hawaii with his family in late December.
Meanwhile, NSW has entered the most dangerous hours of the day, with hot weather and wind forecast.
The state's rural fire commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons says people cannot afford to wait.
"Leaving it to today [Saturday] is cutting it fine," he told reporters on Saturday morning.
A combination of temperatures above 40C and strong winds are expected to add to the struggle for emergency services on Saturday.
The NSW RFS says Saturday will bring dangerous fire conditions across much of the state's south.
Since Monday, eleven people have died in the fires in both NSW and Victoria.