Bushfires: Period of relief over as mercury soars above 40C

Strong winds and temperatures in excess of 40C will escalate the bushfire danger in NSW on Thursday.

Strong winds and temperatures in excess of 40C will escalate the bushfire danger in NSW on Thursday, with firefighters who took advantage of recent favourable conditions better prepared against fresh threats.

The return of fire hazards comes after an emergency warning was issued for a bushfire near Queanbeyan on the ACT border on Wednesday, as authorities in NSW battled about 60 fires, 20 of which were uncontained.

Despite the drop in active fires, total fire bans will be in place on Wednesday across the Illawarra, Greater Hunter, Southern and Central Ranges and Greater Sydney, where temperatures are predicted to reach 41C.

“We’ve seen the last of the favourable conditions before it heats up again on Thursday,” Rural Fire Service spokeswoman Angela Burford told The Australian.

“Temperatures are going to be up the 40s in some areas, and across most of NSW we’ll see strong winds. That combination of weather factors is likely to see the fire danger escalate.”

She said while “we have seen rain across most firegrounds, Thursday’s weather has the potential to be quite dangerous, especially with new fires starting up. It’s a reminder there is an ever-present risk as the fire season is not over.”

She also said as high temperatures were widespread, there was no particular area of focus the RFS was most concerned about.

Fire activity is not predicted to be as high in Victoria on Thursday, with the Country Fire Association crediting “cooler winds” for bringing down the danger towards the end of the week. Firefighters are fighting to contain 13 fires across Victoria, most of which are in East Gippsland and the northeast of the state.

Conditions in South Australia have improved significantly and while no fire bans are scheduled for Thursday, there will be areas of concern. A Country Fire Service spokeswoman said fire danger would be “very high” in the Yorke Peninsula and in the Mount Lofty Ranges.