More than $660,000 in cash, cocaine, ice and guns have been seized during NSW Police raids in Sydney's south-west.

Six people have been charged during the investigation into large-scale supply of drugs, mostly cocaine, in the city.

Strike Force Daniel investigators carried out seven search warrants at homes in Bankstown, Greenacre and Carramar from 6.30am yesterday.

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During the searches, police seized more than $660,000 in cash, four guns — including a revolver, sawn-off rifle and two semi-automatic pistols — five replica guns, a laser scope, mobile phones, a Toyota Corrola and more than 520 rounds of ammunition.

A large amount of drugs was also seized, including 425 grams of cocaine and 25 grams of ice, which has a combined street value estimated to be $250,000.

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Six people — five men and a woman — were arrested during the operation and taken to Bankstown Police Station.

All six were charged with more than 75 offences between them.

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Four people, including three men and a woman, were refused bail and will appear at Bankstown Local Court today.

Two men were given strict conditional bail to appear at the same court in February.

Investigations under Strike Force Daniel are continuing.

A man accused of killing five people in a rampage in Denver is believed to have written fictional books self-published online that named some of his real-life victims and described similar attacks.

The writings are part of the investigation into what led Lyndon James McLeod to carry out the shootings, which took place in less than an hour on Monday at several locations around the metro area, Denver police spokesman Doug Schepman said on Wednesday.

McLeod, 47, knew most of the people he shot through business or personal relationships, police have said.

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Four of those shot were attacked at tattoo shops. In addition to those killed, two other people were wounded, including a police officer who shot and killed McLeod after being hit.

In the first novel, written under a pen name of Roman McClay, a character named Lyndon stalks a poker party held by a character named “Michael Swinyard” and gains access to a building near Cheesman Park by posing as a police officer.

He then fatally shoots everyone at the party and robs them before fleeing with his dog in a van.

In Monday's attack, Michael Swinyard, 67, was fatally shot at a home near Denver’s Cheesman Park, police said.

In his second novel, which also features a character named Lyndon, McClay names Alicia Cardenas as a victim. The book also mentions the tattoo shop she owned, Sol Tribe.

Alicia Cardenas, a 44-year-old tattoo artist, was among his first victims in Monday's rampage. She was killed at her tattoo shop, along with another woman, Alyssa Gunn, 35.

A man who was also wounded there is expected to survive, police said. He was identified by friends and customers as Ms Gunn’s husband, James Maldonado, a piercer there.

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That shop is less than 1.6km from a tattoo shop that McLeod was listed as the lease-holder for between 2014 and 2016. Ms Cardenas later took it over before moving the shop to its current spot, city records show.

McLeod was not licensed to work as a tattoo artist or operate a tattoo business himself in Denver according to city records, a spokesperson for Denver’s licensing agency, Eric Escudero, said on Wednesday.

Ms Cardenas, whose daughter is 12 years old, described herself as a “proud Indigenous artist” who also painted murals.

Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen said during a news conference Tuesday that McLeod was on the radar of law enforcement and had been investigated in both 2020 and 2021.

He declined to say what McLeod was investigated for but said charges were not filed against him.

Matt Clark, commander of the Denver Police Department’s Major Crimes Division, said McLeod knew most of the people he targeted but not the last person he shot, a clerk in a hotel in Lakewood's Belmar shopping area.

However, McLeod had had some dealings with the hotel, Commander Clark said.

The hotel clerk, 28-year-old Sarah Steck, died of her injuries on Tuesday.

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Ms Steck graduated this year from Metropolitan State University with a bachelor’s degree of fine art in communication design. She was known among her co-workers at the hotel for her infectious laugh and love of kittens, art and music, The Denver Post reported.

Soon after the shooting at Ms Cardenas' shop, McLeod forced his way into a residence that is also home to a business.

City records show it is licensed as a tattoo shop. He pursued the occupants through the building and fired shots, but no one was injured, Commander Clark said.

Then he shot and killed Swinyard near Cheesman Park, Commander Clark said.

Later, Denver police chased the vehicle believed to have been involved in the shootings, and an officer exchanged gunfire with McLeod, Commander Clark said.

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McLeod was able to get away, fleeing into Lakewood, after gunfire disabled the officer's cruiser, he said.

Just before 6pm, the Lakewood Police Department received a report of shots fired at the Lucky 13 tattoo shop.

Danny Scofield, 38, was killed there, Lakewood police spokesperson John Romero said.

Mr Scofield was a father of three, according to a site raising money for his family.

When officers spotted the car suspected of being involved in the shooting at the Belmar shopping area, where shops line sidewalks in a modern version of a downtown, McLeod opened fire and officers shot back, Mr Romero said.

He ran away and allegedly threatened some people in a restaurant with a gun before going to the Hyatt House hotel, where he spoke briefly with Ms Steck, before shooting her, he said.

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About a minute later, Lakewood police officer Ashley Ferris saw McLeod and ordered him to drop his weapon. She was shot in the abdomen but fired back and killed the gunman.

Agent Ferris underwent surgery Monday night and is expected to make a full recovery.

“I can't overemphasise enough the heroic actions of our Lakewood police agent," Mr Romero said during a news conference on Tuesday.

"In the face of being shot, in the face of danger, she was able to not only save others from this terrible tragedy but also neutralise the threat.”

Hundreds of US homes have been lost after two wildfires started and grew quickly Thursday as high winds whipped through the Front Range in Colorado.

The fires have forced tens of thousands of residents from their homes, the Boulder County sheriff said.

Sheriff Joe Pelle estimated 580 homes or other structures in and around Superior may have been lost. A shopping centre and a hotel in Superior also were engulfed by the flames.

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"Historic" 129-160 kilometre per hour winds, with gusts as high as 185 kph, fed the wildfires that injured at least six people, prompted a hospital to send patients elsewhere and forced the evacuation of Superior and Louisville near Boulder.

The Marshall Fire had burned at least 1,600 acres and had spread east across Superior and Louisville, the sheriff said.

The other fire is known as the Middle Fork Fire, but there were no details about its size.

There currently are no reports of casualties or missing people, Mr Pelle said.

"I'd like to emphasise that due to the magnitude of this fire, the intensity of this fire and its presence in such a heavily populated area, we would not be surprised if there are injuries or fatalities."

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Governor Jared Polis, who declared a state of emergency for the area, said the flames were travelling the length of a football field in just seconds.

"Very little time to get out, very little time to even get the most important parts of your life and, yes, it'll be a difficult process for Colorado families who are directly affected to rebuild their lives," he said.

Louisville and Superior are about six kilometres apart, not far from Boulder.

At least six people are being treated for injuries related to one of the fires, a spokesperson for UCHealth told CNN.

Kelli Christensen said no more information was available for the patients, who are at UCHealth Broomfield Hospital.

Another hospital, Avista Adventist Hospital, was prompted to evacuate its patients and employees. The facility has 114 beds, according to its website.

"If you're in the area, please act quickly," the Boulder County Office of Emergency Management tweeted to Louisville residents.

Video from CNN affiliate KUSA showed several homes in Louisville on fire.

The US Census Bureau says Louisville has about 21,000 residents and Superior has 13,000.

"We are in the midst of a truly historic windstorm across the front range, foothills and urban corridor," said the National Weather Service office in Boulder.

https://twitter.com/BoulderOEM/status/1476663713453199362

Widespread wind gusts of 129-160 kph winds have been observed, the weather service said, and "a handful of sites in Rocky Flats have seen several hours worth of gusts 160-185 kph."

Combined with relative humidity below 20 per cent and ongoing drought conditions, the extreme winds are fuelling rapid fire spread.

County residents have been asked to evacuate if they see flames from one of multiple wildland fires.

"Boulder OEM is getting many calls about residents seeing fire. IF YOU SEE FIRE, EVACUATE. Go east, go north, but leave immediately," the office tweeted.

The hurricane-force wind gusts being reported are being attributed to "exceptional mountain wave amplification," which is a major increase in wind speed as air flows over and down the mountains into the lower elevations that can occur under very specific atmospheric conditions.

High-wind warnings are in effect for portions of Colorado and Wyoming through this evening. Sustained winds of 40 to 64 kph are forecast with gusts exceeding 129 kph.

The "strongest winds below 6000 feet (1829 metres) are expected to be near the base of the foothills from Boulder north to Fort Collins to the Wyoming border," the weather service said.

https://twitter.com/BoulderOEM/status/1476634990184218627

In addition to quickly spreading fires, these strong winds likely will blow down trees and power lines, which could lead to widespread power outages and difficult travel.

There will likely be a "rapid retreat of the strongest winds back into the foothills" by Thursday evening, the NWS office said.

By morning, the region will experience "weather whiplash," going "from fire to snow," according to the weather service. An advancing cold front will push into the area and bring snow showers to foothills and front range by sunrise.

A winter storm warning is in effect for the region beginning at 5 a.m. MT Friday and calls for 13-25 centimetres of snow by Saturday. The combination of heavy snow and winds associated with the front and terrain will create treacherous travel conditions at time.

The Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne is calling for extra vigilance to help stop more children from drowning this summer.

"It is very timely to remind ourselves of the absolute importance of constant vigilance and attention to water safety, to ensure that the summer times remain happy time for our children," RCH director of trauma services Professor Warwick Teague said.

"In the last four days we've been faced with the terrible realities of the dangers that water plays for children."

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Four children were admitted to the RCH in the last four days with "devastating injuries" sustained in or around the water on Boxing Day.

"Yesterday, a seven-year-old child was swimming in a backyard pool and drowned after a period of approximately 30 seconds underwater," Prof. Teague said.

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"It is important to recognize that this child was an able swimmer, this child had attended swimming lessons and was being supervised by an adult at the time of the incident," he said.

The RCH's main advice is children in the water are under constant adult supervision.

"Children under the age of five need at all times to be within arm's reach. Children under the age of 10 need at all times to be within our line of sight and 'at all times' means exactly that," Prof. Teague said.

"Unfortunately, children can drown in less than 20 seconds."

He added children should also have restricted access to water to help increase awareness of danger levels.

A 26-year-old man said he slept as his car keys and wallet were stolen just metres from his bed.Matthew Abernethy said someone snuck through a window of his Hamilton home just after 3am as he lay sleeping on the final day of 2021.The…

The Northern Territory will introduce an indoor mask mandate for the entire territory as COVID-19 cases climb to a new daily record.

The territory recorded 60 new COVD-19 cases today. Of these new cases, 16 were in interstate arrivals, 18 were close contacts of previous cases, 11 infections were the result of community transmission, and 15 cases remain under investigation.

Currently, 24 people with the virus are in hospital. None are in ICU.

The majority of cases are in Darwin, with four in Tennant Creek and one is in Katherine.

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The new infections come after the territory yesterday recorded 37 COVID-19 cases.

NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner confirmed an indoor mask mandate is being introduced "to minimise potential spread of the virus" from 6pm tonight.

"I know the timing of the mandate is not ideal but the fact is tonight will be a special one where people gather in large numbers," Mr Gunner said.

"Unfortunately that's why it's important we need to act now.

"You can still go out, we want you to have as much fun as you can, but we need you to do this as safely as possible.

"That's why you need to check in and wear a mask at all times when you're indoors except when eating, drinking or more than 1.5 metres away from all others.

"If you're doing New Year's right you will be closer than 1.5 metres, so mask up."

Mr Gunner went on to say "This New Year I want your only regret to be a hangover — not COVID."

He said all cases of community transmission are being treated as if it's the Omicron variant.

There is no end date to the mask mandate in sight.

Instead authorities will closely monitor community spread.

"Over the past 72 hours there has been a growing trend in community transmission," Mr Gunner said.

"We had one case of community transmission on Wednesday, four cases yesterday with at least 11 cases of community transmission today."

READ MORE: NSW cases 'likely' higher than reported as infections double

Mr Gunner said there will be a long list of exposure sites updated through the day.

Residents are encouraged to keep across changes here.

READ MORE: 'A third' of Victoria's 5919 new cases Omicron variant

It comes as New South Wales recorded a massive jump in case numbers today, amassing a total of 21,151 new infections and another six deaths. Victoria recorded 5,919 new COVID-19 cases and seven deaths.

More to come…

From an insurrection to landing on Mars and the world's most expensive ship bungle: Here's all the biggest headlines – that weren't about COVID-19 – across the globe this year.

Dozens of bikers took over the streets of Auckland on New Year’s Eve, executing dangerous manoeuvres and damaging a police patrol car.The stunts were considered so dangerous, police chose not to intervene.”We have already received…

Test your brains with the Herald’s afternoon quiz. Be sure to check back on nzherald.co.nz for the morning quiz tomorrow. To challenge yourself with more quizzes, CLICK HERE.

The rules have changed for close contacts of COVID-19 cases, as the Omicron variant spreads like a bushfire across Australia.

Close contacts of confirmed cases are required to self-isolate for seven days starting from the testing date of the positive PCR test.

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If they start to develop symptoms, they are required to get a PCR test themselves.

If not, they are required to take a rapid antigen test on day six. If they test negative, they are free to leave isolation on the seventh day.

But what if they test positive?

What happens if my test result on day six is positive?

If you receive a positive rapid antigen test result on day six, then you need to go and get a PCR test.

At some testing sites, you are urged to turn on their hazard lights or otherwise indicate you have returned a positive rapid antigen test.

If the PCR test also comes back positive, then you need to spend another seven days in isolation.

This means it will be a 14-day isolation period.

What about confirmed COVID-19 cases?

The Federal Government announced today the day six rapid antigen test for confirmed cases of COVID-19 has been scrapped.

If you're a confirmed COVID-19 case and have symptoms on day seven, you should go and get a PCR test and stay in isolation.

If that PCR test returns a positive result, then you have to stay in isolation for another seven days.

If by day seven, you don't have any symptoms as a COVID-19 case, you're free to leave isolation, however are urged to avoid high-risk settings such as hospitals and aged care facilities.

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What's the new definition of a close contact?

As of midnight, a close contact of a positive COVID-19 case can now be defined as "a household contact, or a household-like contact, of a confirmed case only".

Not an interaction in a retail store, supermarket, bar or restaurant, only somebody that a person has spent over four hours with inside a home.

"A household contact is someone who lives with a case or has spent more than four hours with them in a house, accommodation or care facility setting," Prime Minister Scott Morrison said yesterday.

"You are only a close contact if you are, effectively, living with someone or have been in an accommodation setting with someone."

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about isolation, close contacts

I haven't been in contact with a COVID-19 case inside a home and don't show symptoms, do I go about life as normal?

Yes. If you don't fulfil the new definition of a close contact then there is no need for you to be in the line for a PCR test.

"You should go home. Go to the beach, go and do what you want to do. Read a book in the park," Mr Morrison said.

"Follow all the normal, common-sense things that you would do, monitor your symptoms, followed the COVID say practices, make sure you have booked for your booster, do all of those sorts of things."