Bushfire ravages home as heat hits

An out-of-control bushfire significantly damaged one home and threatened dozens more in Sydney’s west on Sunday.

A Northmead home on Whitehaven Road caught fire after a nearby bushfire spread rapidly in Sydney, NSW. Picture: NCA NewsWire / James Gourley

An out-of-control bushfire significantly damaged one home and threatened dozens more in Sydney’s west on Sunday, as the Fraser Island bushfire in Queensland continued to burn into its seventh straight week.

NSW Rural Fire Service crews battled to save the home that erupted into flames after a bushfire raged through Northmead near Parramatta in the early afternoon.

Waterbombing aircraft aided in containing the blaze by drawing water from nearby Lake Parramatta as gusty westerly winds swept across the city in severe heatwave conditions.

NSW RFS spokesman Greg Allan said firefighters worked desperately to save the home on Whitehaven Road which was being consumed by flames.

Families had been preparing to evacuate their homes before the immediate threat to property had eased and the Watch and Act alert level was downgraded to Advice about 3pm.

“Firefighters and aircraft have been working in difficult conditions to contain the fire at Whitehaven Road, Northmead,” NSW RFS said in a statement.

“The immediate threat has eased. One property has been damaged by fire. Crews remain on scene working to fully contain the fire.” The cause of the fire is not yet known.

Firefighters also continued to battle blazes in Kenthurst, Homebush and Faulconbridge amid record-breaking heat as a southerly change swept through late on Sunday afternoon.

The small bushfire on the southern side of the Great Western Highway at Faulconbridge near the Blue Mountains was upgraded to Watch and Act about 4.30pm, with the NSW RFS concerned the southerly change could cause erratic winds.

Meanwhile Queensland Fire and Emergency Service crews and Parks and Wildlife personnel continued to battle the blaze burning on Queensland’s Fraser Island, which was closing in on two tourist attractions.

QFES said on Sunday the fire was 5km from the Kingfisher Bay Resort, which has temporarily closed its doors. Another fire front was just 2km from the Cathedrals camping ground on the other side of the island.

Authorities have closed the island to new arrivals until at least December 13. The fire has now burned through 74,000ha of the island since an illegal campfire started on October 15.