Bushfire threatens homes near Ulladulla on NSW South Coast
An out-of-control bushfire is threatening homes near Ulladulla on the NSW South Coast, with some residents being told it's too late to leave.
The NSW Rural Fire Service has issued an emergency warning for the blaze at Mount Kingiman, west of Woodstock, Kingspoint and Burrill Lake.
Residents in the towns of Burrill Lake, Kings Point and south of Ulladulla who are not prepared, or if their plan is to leave, have been told to head north into central Ulladulla immediately, the NSW Rural Fire Service says.
Those in Woodstock are being told that it is too late to leave, and they should seek shelter in a solid structure as the fire approaches.
A total fire ban has been declared for Sydney, the Illawarra and Hunter regions until midnight Wednesday. Those regions are experiencing severe fire danger conditions.
"Conditions are deteriorating, with stronger winds than originally forecast," the fire service said.
NSW RFS Inspector Ben Shepherd said the south coast fire had "whipped up unbelievably quick" on Wednesday morning under the strong winds.
"The fire is moving quickly under some very strong north-westerly winds towards the Burrill Lake area. It's very erratic and it's very dangerous."
He said the fire threatened "numerous homes" in the area, and there were concerns it could jump the lake.
"It's on the western side of the lake, but under these conditions we can expect embers and spot fires in the surrounding area," he said.
The fire - more than 100 hectares in size - is being fanned by very strong north- westerly winds.
"The winds are up to 90km/hr down there so there is a lot of difficulty getting any containment on that fire," Inspector Shepherd said.
An evacuation centre has been set up at Ulladulla Civic Centre for residents who have left their homes.
A grass fire was also burning out of control in Jerrara, west of Kiama.
The RFS said the fire was burning "close to properties" but crews were on scene to try protect them.
Fire crews had already been on high alert with warm and windy weather forecast across the state.
The RFS has urged property owners to think twice before burning off on Wednesday, as temperatures rise to the mid-20s.
The driest start to a year in NSW since 1965 has set the state up not only for a worsening drought but elevated the risk of bushfires.
Earlier this week, the Bureau of Meteorology warned of higher fire risks by Wednesday as rising temperatures and expected strengthening winds combined with the very dry conditions across the state.
Parts of the north-east have already had their official fire season brought forward a month to August 1, while the government is understood to be considering similar moves for other at-risk parts of NSW.
Even without an early declaration of the fire season - which brings restrictions on burning-off activities - authorities are understood to have been preparing to shift assets to regions that are considered to have especially high fire risks this spring.
Countering the ability to bolster resources is the deployment of about 200 firefighters to North America at the start of August, many of them from NSW.
That contingent is helping to coordinate responses to huge blazes that continue to burn in California and other US states.
The early-season bushfires are also likely to stretch the aerial resources of NSW and other states in Australia.
Most of the large firefighting aircraft don't typically arrive in Australia until after September, and demand for their services is likely to remain high in Europe and North America amid record summer heat in many regions.
The NSW RFS says the state has access to many aircraft but those planes and helicopters typically have less fire suppressant capability than the leased jets and other aircraft brought ahead of the summer fire peak.
More to come