Locals have been told it’s too late to leave as a bushfire burns in a rural area near the NSW town of Grafton.
An emergency warning has been issued for the fire in Nymboida State Forest near Glens Creek Road and Martins Road, 30km south west of Grafton.
NSW Rural Fire Service warned; “if you are in the area of Glens Creek Road, you are at risk. Seek shelter to protect yourself from the fire.”
A later warning alerted residents that the fire was moving south, with residents on Frickers road told to seek shelter.
Meanwhile firefighters have managed to bring a fire near the town of Scone in NSW’s Upper Hunter Valley under control.
The fire was downgraded to ‘Watch and Act’ level after crews and aircraft battled the blaze throughout the afternoon, as temperatures hit 31C.
Residents in the area have been told to monitor the changing conditions and stay up-to-date.
The RFS initially issued an emergency warning as the fire began to move to the east towards the area of Segenhoe.
There are around 50 isolated properties.
“If you are in the vicinity of Segenhoe, you are in danger,” the RFS warned.
The fire is believed to be 200 hectares in size.
Fire crews are continuing to work to slow the spread of the fire, with light winds of 25-40 kilometres fanning the fire.
NSW RFS said that a change in the wind is expected to push the fire north-east towards Lake and Gundy Roads in coming hours.
Another fire further north in the isolated Woko National Park have been upgraded to “prepare now.”
Several campers have already been evacuated and road closures could happen.
It’s burning near Kauthi Road to the west of Thunderbolts Way is heading in a south-easterly direction.
NSW Rural Fire Service said they expected “hot, dry and windy conditions” throughout the day as they put much of the state on notice.
Fires to floods: Wild weather hits Australia’s east-coast
In NSW, the total fire ban is in effect for the Hunter region.
It also includes many country towns heading right up to the border with Queensland.
In Queensland, several small fires are burning around the Gladstone and Bundaberg region as temperatures in the sunshine state sit in the low-mid 30s.
Bushfire emergency warnings in Queensland were downgraded overnight.
Residents were forced to leave their homes yesterday as firefighters tackled a blaze in Beerwah on the Sunshine Coast.
People have been allowed to return to their homes with warnings sitting at advice level.
In NSW the temperature hit 31 C in Penrith, west of the Sydney CBD.
Sydney CBD had a high of 25 C, with winds up to 30km/h, with gusts up to 50km/h
Thousands flocked to beaches all over Australia’s coast to escape the heat.
In the Northern Territory, a severe heatwave risk is in place around the Darwin area.
Fresh and gusty southeasterly winds combined with hot and dry conditions will cause elevated fire dangers through central parts of the Northern Territory.
