‘Seek shelter and protect yourself’: Firefighters warn residents it’s ‘too late to leave’ as terrifying bushfires spread north of Sydney
- Fires in Lithgow and Hawkesbury have been upgraded to emergency level
- The fire has now crossed Bowen’s Creek, spotting ahead of the main fire front
- More than 100 blazes are burning in NSW, with conditions expected to worsen
Residents in the path of a major blaze in the Wollemi National Park, northwest of Sydney, have been told it’s too late to leave as the fire pushes closer to their homes.
The alert was issued for the Gospers Mountain blaze, which is almost 370,000 hectares in size, on Sunday afternoon.
The NSW Rural Fire Service says the fire has crossed Bowen Creek, south of Mount Wilson in the Blue Mountains.
The blaze is moving towards Mount Wilson, Mount Irvine, Mount Tomah and Berambing.
For residents in these areas the RFS advises that fire activity is increasing.
The Gospers Mountain fire (pictured) burning in the Lithgow and Hawkesbury districts has been upgraded to emergency warning level
Residents in the path of a major blaze in the Wollemi National Park, northwest of Sydney, have been told it’s too late to leave as the fire pushes closer to their homes
‘It is too late to leave. Seek shelter as the fire approaches. Protect yourself from the heat of the fire,’ the RFS said in a statement on Sunday afternoon.
The agency also advises that winds are creating spot fires ahead of the main fire front.
‘This large fire stretches from the Lithgow area in the west, through the Hawkesbury area and towards the Central Coast in the east,’ the RFS says.
At 8.30am on Sunday there were 106 bush and grass fires burning around the state with 57 not yet contained.
‘With many areas of the state under a Very High fire danger today, discuss with your family what you would do if fire threatens,’ the RFS posted on Twitter on Sunday morning.
Total fire bans are in place for the Central Ranges, Northern Slopes and North Western areas amid very high fire danger ratings on Sunday and more bushfire smoke will affect the Sydney Basin.
The alert was issued for the Gospers Mountain blaze, which is almost 370,000 hectares in size, on Sunday afternoon
Some 1500 firefighters were tackling the blazes on Saturday night and there was no let-up on the horizon, Greg Allan from the RFS said.
‘We will see conditions deteriorate with worsening weather early into mid-next week. We’re going to be seeing a lot more higher temperatures across the state,’ he told AAP.
Places such as Cobar, Broken Hill and Griffith will see temperatures above 40C in the coming week, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
Some 724 homes, 49 facilities and 1582 outbuildings had been destroyed so far this fire season. Six people have died and 2.7 million hectares have been scorched.
‘Seek shelter. Protect yourself from the heat of the fire.’
Firefighters are battling more than 100 blazes across NSW, with conditions expected to worsen again early next week as temperatures rise.
Firefighters are battling more than 100 blazes across NSW, with conditions expected to worsen again early next week as temperatures rise