Sydney bushfires: More than 100 fires in NSW as temperatures rise to 33C
Dry heat and increasingly strong winds have put Sydney and holidaymakers on bushfire alert, as more than 100 fires burn across the state.
Greater Sydney and the Greater Hunter are among five areas facing extreme fire danger on Tuesday and among eight areas under a total fire ban.
Tamworth, Dubbo and tourist hotspots Batemans Bay and Merimbula are among other centers facing increased fire risk.
A fire is burning near Bawley Point on the NSW south coast.
The high fire danger warning comes as the weather bureau forecasts above-average temperatures and winds becoming strong and gusty along the coast and southern half of the mountain ranges on Tuesday.
Sydney is expected to reach a maximum temperature of 33°C.
The risk became real on Monday afternoon for communities north of Mudgee, where residents were told it was too late to flee a fast-spreading grass fire.
Those still in St Fillans were told to take shelter while residents further south in Eurunderee and Budgee Budgee were told to go to Mudgee if they were unprepared.
Water bombers and firefighters brought the fire under control Monday afternoon, mitigating the threat to homes.
Smoke filled the sky as a fire burned on Flinders Island off the coast of Tasmania.
“If you don’t have a plan, decide what you will do if the situation changes,” warned the Rural Fire Service.
“Leaving early is your safest option.”
As of Monday evening, the remaining 107 fires statewide were burning at council level.
FIRE DANGER IN NSW TUESDAY
Extreme: Greater Hunter*, Greater Sydney*, Far South Coast*, North West*, Upper Central West Plains*.
High: Far North Coast, North Coast, Illawarra/Shoalhaven, Monaro Alpine, Southern Ranges, Central Ranges*, New England, Northern Slopes*, Lower Mid-West Plains*, Northern Riverina, Far West.
*denotes a total ban on making fires
