Fires unlikely to be under control soon

An uncontrolled bushfire burning through more than 100,000 hectares near Sydney’s northwestern outskirts is unlikely to be contained before weather conditions worsen, the New South Wales Rural Fire Service says.

Firefighters back-burned through Friday night to get a handle on the massive Gospers Mountain blaze burning in the Hawkesbury region near Sydney’s northwestern outskirts.

NSW Rural Fire Service Inspector Ben Shepherd said yesterday the fire, which has been downgraded to a ‘‘watch and act’’ alert, was unlikely to be under control before weather conditions deteriorated early next week.

The fire had destroyed six homes since Tuesday, with one more home possibly lost on Friday, Shepherd said.

A southerly change sweeping through the state eased the Gospers Mountain fire on Friday night, allowing firefighters to strengthen containment lines through back-burning. This continued yesterday.

The biggest danger has moved to the north of the state, with severe ratings issued for New England, the Northern Slopes and northwestern regions.

Bureau of Meteorology duty forecaster Bimal K C said a southerly change would bring some brief relief before fire conditions week.

Five out-of-control fires were burning at a ‘‘watch and act’’ level yesterday – in Woodenbong, Willi Willi, Nambucca and Bora Ridge, as well as the Gospers Mountain blaze.

Meanwhile, firefighters are frantically working to get one step ahead of dire weather conditions expected to stoke and potentially start more fires in Queensland.

The weather bureau has warned that hot, dry westerly winds will sear the state’s southeast as fire danger conditions continue to deteriorate today.

A number of fires are particularly concerning to authorities, including the Pechey and Ravensbourne fire on the bonedry Darling Downs.

People are being told to be prepared to leave from the paths of other major fires at Barney View and Palen Creek, where a fire with multiple fronts is burning in an inaccessible area of Mount Barney National Park near the Queensland-NSW border.

An unpredictable fire is burning at Tarome, in the Scenic Rim region.

Further north, fire crews will continue to work on containment lines at the Kinkuna Waters and Woodgate/Walkers Point Rd fire south of Bundaberg, with the help of waterbombing aircraft and heavy machinery. worsened early next

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