Australia Weather News

There is a risk severe storms could hit the already-fire impacted north-east of NSW as part of a cold front due to sweep across the coast this morning, with potentially damaging winds and thunderstorms, as more than 70 fires continue to burn across NSW.

On Saturday evening, more than 1,000 firefighters were still stationed across the state fighting 75 blazes, 19 of which were uncontained, fanned by an extreme heatwave that saw temperatures reach 41 degrees Celsius in many parts of NSW. 

An emergency warning was also issued overnight for a fire at Redhead just south of Newcastle, with residents at a nursing home told it was too late to leave and to seek shelter.

The alert level has since been downgraded to Watch and Act.

Bureau of Meteorology's (BOM) senior meteorologist Dean Narramore said a gusty southerly change was due within the next few hours.

"[We're] likely to see quick temperature drops as well behind that, and then once it gets to around the Newcastle area we're going to probably start to see severe thunderstorms developing with that change as well, particularly for north-east NSW," he said.

The cold front is expected to bring north-westerly winds, gusty showers and thunderstorms, which could incite damaging winds, according to the BOM.

At Koolewong, where 12 houses were destroyed, the Chinook helicopter, 50 fire trucks and 250 firefighters remained at the Central Coast fireground, which was described as "devastating". 

The fire, which had started in a park area at the peninsula and spiralled out of control, quickly moving from advice level to emergency level, was back at a watch and act alert by 8pm. 

"The fire moved very, very quickly into properties," NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Trent Curtin said. 

"We issued a watch and act and then it escalated very quickly to an emergency warning, and notified people by landline and by text message to warn them of that fire." 

The steep terrain, winds and the limited access to where the blaze took hold meant access to the area was limited, allowing the fire to spread. 

"At one stage through the course of the afternoon, we actually had the RFS boat providing access to fire and rescue firefighters from the water to some of the properties involved, as that was the only way to access those properties," Commissioner Curtin said. 

He said it was unknown what caused the fire but investigators were due to take a look. 

NSW Premier Chris Minns said it was "good news" that no-one was injured or missing, and warned that the number of homes lost could rise as he urged the community to stay tuned to alerts over the next 12 to 24 hours.

Jihad Dib, the minister for emergency services, added that despite all the preparations ahead of the heatwave, the blaze showed "how quickly things can change".

Gosford RSL was set up as an evacuation centre, with about 60 people making use of the facility, while other residents relocated to other areas.

'It was just orange and black'

Inland at Bulahdelah, four homes were destroyed in the Crawford River area in the fire that started on Thursday on both sides of the Pacific Highway and closed the M1.

By Saturday evening it had burnt more than 2,800 hectares, it was still burning but at a watch and act level. 

Commissioner Jeremy Fewtrell said firefighters had worked hard to contain the fire on Saturday, helped by a number of resources being sent to the area, including the Chinook helicopter and other air tankers.

The result, he said, had been much better than expected.

Local Nassim "Norm" Daghel went from one second thinking he was "fine" to being forced to leave his property the next when he realised the fire "was right on us".

"It was just orange and black, it was all we could see," Mr Daghel said.

"As soon as I saw the fire coming through here, I said 'We've got to go' and that was it. 

"We just gunned it up the street, there was fire on both ends of the road which is pretty intense.

"And then spent the rest of the afternoon freaking out wondering whether or not we were going to come back to a house."

He returned to find extensive damage around the perimeter of his property but his house intact.

"Thank God for the firies, they did an amazing job," he said.

"There is no damage to the house at all … it's just filled with smoke, we have no power, the trees survived, all the animals are alive.

"We're really blessed at this point."