Rural Fire Service firefighter Peter Watt in Coonabarabran / Pic: Sam Mooy Source: The Daily Telegraph
A commercial pilot took this amazing photo of the smoke plume from Wambelong fire in Coonabarabran. Source: The Daily Telegraph
A POWDER-KEG combination of scorching temperatures and gusty winds threatens to ignite fresh bushfires across the state today.
8:20 am A fire has broken containment lines in Coonabarabran, boosting fears soaring temperatures could ignite a fresh wave of destruction.
There are 84 fires burning across the state, with 14 of them uncontained.
A total fire ban is once again in place across much of NSW as a return of hot and windy conditions prompt fears existing fires could get out of control.
Containment lines were broken early on Friday morning in a region hit earlier this week with NSW's most destructive fire in more than a decade.
The 45,000-hectare blaze in the Warrumbungle National Park, west of Coonabarabran, has so far destroyed 51 properties.
"That fire just actually broke containment lines a little while ago," RFS Deputy Commissioner Rob Rogers said of the blaze at Gowang, which has cut the Newell Highway.
Sydney RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said the blaze was threatening some rural homes at the southern end of the Coonabarabran fire front.
"We've seen a run of fire to the south and that has resulted in the Newell Highway again being closed," he said.
"There are some rural properties in that area but we've got some fire trucks and fire crews working on those properties and of course the aircraft and other resources, heavy bulldozers and things, are dispatched to assist as well.
"That fire ran in the order of five to 10 kilometres overnight."
Mr Fitzsimmons said there had been no evacuations so far but there were concerns for the rural holdings in the area.
8:12 am Sydney is bracing for another scorcher today - with the mercury across most of the metropolitan area tipped to hit 30C well before 9am.
Temperatures at Sydney Airport, Homebush Bay, Bankstown, Terrey Hills and Penrith were all at 28C by 8am this morning and are expected to hit 40C by lunchtime.
In the CBD, experts said it won't get as hot as last week's 43C stinker - but the mercury will get close.
And in typical Sydney summer fashion, a thunderstorm this afternoon is likely as the cool change comes through just in time for the weekend.
6:57 am The Newell Highway is closed in both directions near Gowang between Gilgandra and Mendooran Road, Warkton due to a bushfire.
Southbound motorists are being diverted at Mendooran Road, Warkton to Castlereagh Highway which will take motorists to Gilgandra and then back to the Newell Highway.
Northbound motorists should divert at Gilgandra onto the Castlereagh Highway to Mendooran Road.
Motorists are advised to avoid the area and if travelling via the diversion route allow additional travel time. For more traffic information, visit www.livetraffic.com or call the Traffic Information Line on 132 701.
6:42 am Houses are under threat in Victoria's east from a fast-moving bushfire which has doubled in size overnight.
Experts have warned it could be too late to evacuate homes in the Glenmaggie area, about 200km from Melbourne, as the fire moves from remote bush land into populated areas.
Read more on the Victorian bushfires here
6:08 am The Nepean Aquatic Centre had to be evacuated last night when fire destroyed 20ha of parklands in western Sydney.
Investigators have not ruled out the possibility that arsonists lit a grass fire at a park on Andrews Rd, Penrith about 5.30pm.
Fire fighters extinguished the blaze before anyone was hurt or property was damaged. Police are monitoring known and suspected bushfire arsonists in the area as part of their investigation.
12:00 am With the mercury topping 40C and expected squalls up to 70km/h, the Rural Fire Service is on red alert and has declared a total fire ban for 15 regions. The state's south is expected to endure the worst. Penrith and Bourke are tipped to be the hottest with forecasts of 43C, while Sydney faces a top of 39C.
The warning of a potential D-Day came as Prime Minister Julia Gillard toured fire-ravaged Timor Valley, which she described as a "moonscape"after it was decimated on Sunday night.
"I am overwhelmed by the bravery and stoicism that people are showing in such difficult circumstances," said Ms Gillard, who had an emotional meeting with local volunteers and neighbours Bob Fenwick and David Keirle after they lost their homes.
More than 600 firefighters continue to battle 80 blazes across NSW. Of most concern are uncontained fires at Deans Gap on the south coast and Yarrabin near Cooma, while firefighters near Coonabarabran will also face testing conditions.
"All along the ranges we are expecting to see winds of 40 to 70km/h and that's going to place enormous pressure on control lines," an RFS spokesman said.
"We have 180km of containment lines around the perimeter (of the fire at Coonabarabran) and all it takes is for one spark to cross the lines and we have another uncontrollable fire."
A cool change is due to move through the state this evening, reaching Sydney between 7pm and 9pm and bringing relief to the city's western suburbs an hour later. The change will see temperatures drop by up to almost 20C tomorrow.
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