Updated
A small plane flies towards the cloud of smoke rising from a bushfire at Coonabarabran in north west New South Wales.
Fire fighters across New South Wales are facing a day of horrendous conditions, with high temperatures and strong winds forecast for much of the state.
A total fire ban has been declared for large parts of the state and extreme fire danger conditions are predicted for the state's south, where it's feared two fires still burning near Sussex Inlet and Cooma could jump containment lines.
Deputy Rural Fire Service Commissioner Rob Rogers says people should stay on top of fire developments.
"Any new fire today in the Sydney metro area or anywhere else in the state will be difficult," he said.
"All over we're going to get some pretty difficult conditions today and we really do need people to make sure they have got their bushfire survival plan."
A 47,000 hectare bushfire is still burning out of control in the Warrumbungle National Park near Coonabarabran in the state's north west.
The blaze has already destroyed 51 homes and 113 sheds and outbuildings.
It is currently burning near a number of rural properties and Commissioner Rogers says he is nervous ahead of today's fierce conditions.
"The fire at Coonabarabran is already acting up this morning, it's actually broken out of containment lines in the south west," he said.
"The Newell highway is now closed at Gowang, which is at the south west of that fire.
"It's not a good sign that that is already acting up at 7:00am this morning."
Temperatures in the area are expected to nudge 40 degrees today with wind gusts of up to 40 kilometres an hour.
Deputy Incident Controller in Coonabarabran, Eric Claussen, says crews spent the night consolidating containment lines.
"We've worked pretty hard last night to get a few more control lines in," he said.
"If we last the next couple of hours it'd be good, it depends on how strong those winds will be and whether or not that fire is gong to behave itself as it comes out of the high ground and onto the flatter ground."
The fire is burning near properties in the Carrington Lane area to the south of Coonabarabran but at this stage there is no threat to the town itself.
A Disaster Recovery Centre will open in Coonabarabran this morning to help people affected by the bush fires.
The centre will be based in the town hall and disaster welfare, housing, insurance and other representatives will be on hand to provide support to locals.
The centre will be open seven days a week from 8am until 6pm.
Suspicious fire
Meanwhile, police are investigating a suspicious grass fire which forced the evacuation of a swimming centre in Sydney's west last night.
Units from the Rural Fire Service and New South Wales Fire and Rescue were called to a park in Penrith at 5.30pm yesterday.
The blaze burnt through 20 hectares of parkland before it could be contained.
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