Australian firefighters have saved prehistoric plants from extinction as the fire spread to the forest west of Sydney.

To save nearly 200 of the world's last Wollemi pine trees, also known as "dinosaurs," Australia mobilized several planes to release flame-retardant substances into the forest. The helicopter also sent firefighters down a remote canyon in the Blue Mountains, said director of the National Park and Wildlife Service David Crust.

Firefighters set up a system to supply moisture to "dinosaurs" and pump water daily from the canyon as the forest fire lasted for more than two months.

"Wollemi pine is a particularly important plant and this is the only place in the world where this species exists," Crust said.

New South Wales state environmental leader Matt Kean said the firefighting operation had successfully saved the Wollemi pine species, though it could not save some other plants.

"These pine trees date back to the time of the dinosaurs. So when the wildfire was spreading, we had to do everything to save them," Kean said.

Before being discovered in 1994, Wollemi pine was only found in fossil form and is thought to be extinct. The exact location of this plant is kept secret by Australian authorities to protect them.

The "dinosaur tree" threatening forest fire was controlled this week after burning more than 510,000 hectares. The fire destroyed 90% of the 5,000-acre Wollemi National Park, home to many rare plant species.

Forest fires over the past several months in Australia have killed 28 people, more than 2,600 houses and 10.3 million hectares, mostly in the state of New South Wales, were destroyed.