Dramatic footage has emerged of homeowners’ desperate attempts to save their properties from ember fires today, with as many as 20 homes now feared destroyed.
Soaring temperatures into the mid-40s and strong winds have made bushfires erratic and difficult to control.
“The peak day for NSW and the ACT is Saturday,” Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Andrea Peace earlier warned.
“It creates a really dangerous period for the fire grounds because it (the wind) rapidly changes the direction of the fires there.”
Fires are out of control across NSW, in Victoria and in Adelaide, where tragically a second person was confirmed dead today.
Authorities have warned main highways, including the Princes Highway and Hume Highway, may be closed and motorists will be asked to turn around if they try to enter dangerous areas. People have been told to delay any travel plans..
A 'mega-blaze' has taken hold in Lithgow, two hours west of Sydney, with flames moving just metres from homes. Multiple homes are now destroyed and one resident is unaccounted for.
There are seven fire warnings in place across NSW, with many residents warned it's too late to leave.
Many are choosing to stay and fight, hosing down their homes with water.
Four firefighters have been treated for heat exhaustion.
"Today's been an awful day, and we've already seen property impacted and lost," RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said in a press conference.
Live Updates
Victorian emergency warnings downgraded
Emergency warnings for fires in Victoria’s East Gippsland region have all been downgraded, with firefighters planning to take advantage of mild conditions to strengthen containment lines.
The bushfires, which have been burning since November 21, flared up on Saturday after a cool change passed through the region, bringing with it dry lightning strikes.
Emergency warnings were issued for the towns of Brookville, Ensay, Stirling, Tambo Crossing and Wattle Circle but have since been downgraded to watch-and- act.
-AAP
'We’ve still got a long night ahead'
As of 9.30pm on Saturday there are four NSW fires burning at an emergency warning level.
They included the 460,000-hectare inferno at Gospers Mountain, the 130,000-hectare Currowan blaze on the south coast and the fire at Palmers Oaky, west of Gospers Mountain.
A fire at Owendale, near Singleton, was also at emergency level, with embers starting fresh fires ahead of the main front.
Despite the rain at Green Wattle Creek, Rural Fire Service commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said fears the southerly winds moving upstate would fan flames in new directions had come to pass.
He said it would be a number of hours before erratic fire behaviour prompted by the change gave way to milder firefighting conditions for the 3000 crews and emergency personnel in the field.
Conditions were so dry cooler conditions may also have little effect.
“On the far south coast, we are seeing a betterment behind the change but it will take a long time for behaviour to settle once that change has moved through so we’ve still got a long night ahead,” Mr Fitzsimmons said.
NSW Ambulance chief executive Dominic Morgan said a number of firefighters suffered heat exhaustion on Saturday while battling the fires, which were having a “big impact” on demand for emergency services.
Mr Fitzsimmons added one firefighter at Lithgow had been treated for smoke inhalation and another at Gospers Mountain was struck by a car. More than 100 extra paramedics were in the field in NSW on Saturday night.
A fire-generated thunderstorm formed over fires in the Shoalhaven region, potentially escalating danger.
Similar storms could also develop over Gospers Mountain, it said, further distorting fire behaviour and direction.
The RFS said blazes could jump containment lines and threaten houses in suburban areas as winds blew embers far ahead of established fire fronts.
– AAP
'Very afraid': Homes lost in Lithgow
Dramatic footage has emerged of Lithgow residents attempting to save their homes today as embers rained down on the town.
As many as 20 homes are now feared destroyed, with many also damaged.
Fireys were working overtime to save properties as blazes lit up randomly on the streets.
Embers from the Gospers mega-fire fell at random on Lithgow, whichhas a population of 20,000.
Police pitched in with homeowners as desperate attempts were made to defend properties, with garden hoses and buckets of water no match for the flames.
"I'm very afraid for all of us," one resident told Nine News.
With flames licking the grounds nearby, police were seen frantically going door to door to evacuate Lithgow residents.
As fires reached homes police were seen yelling and throwing objects at houses as they helped people to safety, Seven News reports.
One woman had been just escorted out of her home and onto her lawn before realising she had forgotten her keys.
But with conditions so dangerous the policeman evacuating her would not allow her to turn back and look inside.
Heartbreaking stories from Lithgow residents continue to emerge, with many struggling coming to terms with the devastation fire has left in their town.
Girlfriend just evacuated in #Lithgow. Her words "The whole street will burn".
The town my parents live in – Lithgow – is cut off. Roads closed in and out. They’re on ember-watch, wetting down the house every 20 minutes. Across town people have already lost their homes.
Finally a bit of good news after a terrible day of bushfires, with a group of koalas saved from a blaze in South Australia.
"Amazing work by a man named Adam and his mates who pulled these guys out of harm's way at Cudlee Creek and into safety," Janelle Michalowski shared on Facebook in a post that has shared more than 14,000 times.
"Koala Rescue are all over it. well done fellow South Australians. Fantastic job!"
Koala populations in NSW have been decimated by bushfires, despite best efforts to save their habitat in northern parts of the state.
One person unaccounted for in Lithgow
An elderly Lithgow man is unaccounted for with Rural Fire Service commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons saying his Dargan property is now thought to be "enveloped by fire".
"Officers spoke with a male today in that area and he was preferring to stay there at the time. There are some reports that the property is now enveloped by fire and we cannot locate that man," he said.
"We're hoping that he has chosen to relocate somewhere but we just do not know at this stage."
Mr Fitzsimmons described Saturday as “awful” for firefighters, with reports of dozens of properties damaged or destroyed in Lithgow, on the rim of the massive Gospers Mountain blaze, west of Sydney.
There was also additional property damage at Balmoral, to Sydney’s southwest, where up to 40 properties were lost on Thursday.
–With AAP
Watch and Act orders issued
Fireys have issued fresh watch and act orders for the following areas:
Forest Road, Comberton: Conditions are easing, but residents in East Nowra, Worrigee, Pyree, Culburra, Greenwell Point or Comeron should remain vigilant.
Owendale (Singleton LGA): A strong southerly is expected to hit fireground in coming hours. Residents in Broke and nearby areas should monitor conditions.
Little L Complex, Yengo National Park: The southerly is expected to cause an increase in activity on the northern edge of the fire.
Tianjara fire (Shoalhaven LGA): Fire is burning in a northerly direction towards the Terpentine Rd but has eased thanks to the southerly.
'Erratic fire behaviour'
The NSW RFS have warned of "erratic fire behaviour " as a strong southerly change moves up the coast.
The weather change is expected to bring increased winds as well as generating thunderstorms.
Fireys have also repeated danger warnings for surrounding roads with smoke drastically reducing visibility.
It’s dangerous on roads. Smoke reducing visibility, drive to conditions. It’s safer not to be on the roads – avoid driving in fire affected areas if you can. The speed limit is 40km/h around emergency vehicles. For updates on road closures check @LiveTrafficNSW#nswrfs#nswfirespic.twitter.com/8AuYGUBGqd
Fireys have warned of a fire-generated thunderstorm and say another could be on the way.
A fire storm, commonly referred to as a pyrocumulonimbus, forms from clouds created when the intense heat from a fire causes air to rapidly rise in the smoke plume.
They are able to generate their own lightning strikes, mass downdrafts of air, gusty winds and even hail blackened with soot.
A fire-generated thunderstorm has formed over the Currowan & Tianjara fires in the Shoalhaven, and another may form over the Gospers Mountain fire. This is a very dangerous situation. Monitor the conditions around you and take appropriate action. #nswfires#nswrfspic.twitter.com/b1kiNNkB2e
Violent winds kicked up the blaze, forcing emergency personal to door knock people warning them of the danger.
Residents are housing their homes with water and some are refusing to leave.
“I’ve never seen the fire jump as much as this; it’s spotting fires everywhere," Rob Corney told The Sunday Telegraph.
Lithgow is a town of about 12,000 people about two hours’ drive west of Sydney.
EMERGENCY WARNING – Gospers Mountain Fire (Hawkesbury and Lithgow LGAs)
Fire continues to burn below the Bells Line of Road. The southerly change is due to impact this fire within coming hours. Video shows the fire approaching the Fruit Bowl along Bells Line Of Road, Bilpin. pic.twitter.com/0gvSEgsayL
Meanwhile, 7 News Sydney has posted dramatic video footage of the fire raging up a cliff in the Grose Valley near Blackheath.
Fire Emergency: Fire racing up a cliff in the Grose Valley, near Blackheath. Emergency warnings have been issued for fires at Wildes Meadow, Currowan, Tianjara, Gospers Mountain, Green Wattle Creek & Grose Valley. https://t.co/PpNYle74Ri#NSWfires#7NEWSpic.twitter.com/QFQCqUWC4C
Holiday-makers are being urged to postpone trips for 24 hours, with NSW bushfires forcing the closure of the Hume Highway and blocking routes between Sydney and the state’s west. Transport for NSW says a section of the Hume Highway connecting Sydney and Canberra has been closed today in both directions between the Old Hume Highway at Colo Vale and Narellan. Picton Road is also closed at the M1 Motorway in the Blue Mountains, and the Great Western Highway is closed in both directions between Hartley and Mount Victoria due to the emergency-level bushfire burning out of control in the Grose Valley. The Bells Line of Road and Chifley Road are closed between Kurrajong and Lithgow as are Megalong Road, Jenolan Caves Road and Bowen Mountain Road.
Trains lines between Campbelltown and Moss Vale, to the south, and westwards between Katoomba and Bathurst have also been impacted. The Princes Highway has been closed in both directions between Bewong and Conjola on the state’s south coast. NSW Police assistant commissioner Karen Webb said the state’s residents should delay all non-essential travel. “The NSW Police message to motorists is today is not the day to start your holiday,” she told reporters at NSW Rural Fire Service headquarters. "Delay your travel until tomorrow. Conditions will be much milder and you can have a better trip.”
