Firefighters are confident they will gain the upper hand on out-of-control bushfires that burnt across much of NSW on Wednesday.
The NSW Rural Fire Service announced that at 6.30am on Thursday fire crews were battling 79 bush and grass fires across the state, with 32 uncontained.
Blazes on the south coast at Mount Kingiman, west of Ulladulla, and North Nowra have been downgraded to the lowest advice level after burning through more than 1000 hectares and threatening homes.
A total fire ban was also issued for the Sydney, Illawarra and Hunter regions on Wednesday.
But while conditions are calmer today, the threat is not over.
Rural Fire Service spokesperson Matt Sun said firefighters were today expecting gusts of up to 70 kmh in some pars of the state, with a high fire danger declared for northern NSW.
Conditions are expected to worsen on the weekend as a front moves across the state on Saturday.
“Crews are putting in a lot of work today to get those fires under control ahead of the weekend,” Mr Sun said.
“Preparation is the key. We’re asking people to clear their property of fuels such as branches, clear out their gutters, check their hoses and firefighting equipment and review their bushfire survival plans.”
It was the first time in nearly a decade that a total fire ban was issued so early in the season.
Mr Sun said the August bushfires were “unseasonable”, with the dry conditions caused by the drought increasing the risk.
He said 100 per cent of the state is in drought. “We’re anticipating a very challenging, long, hot summer. We’ve had an early start to the bushfire season after a late end.”
For the latest updates on current bushfires visit the Rural Fire Service’s website.
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