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Homes in an area devastated by the Black Summer bushfires of 2019-20 are under threat again as a blaze burns out of control on the New South Wales South Coast.
As winds and high temperatures fan fires across the state, the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) issued emergency warnings for a bushfire in the Bega Valley area this afternoon, while an early warning for residents near Cessnock was downgraded to a watch and act.
Residents around Bermagui were told to seek shelter.
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For the latest emergency information and warnings related to bushfires, you can visit the NSW RFS website.
"An emergency warning is in place for the Bermagui, Cuttagee and Barragga Bay areas due to a large bushfire," the RFS said of the Bega Valley blaze.
"If you are in the Bermagui, Cuttagee or Barragga Bay areas, you are in danger. It is now too late to leave. Seek shelter now inside a solid structure such as a house."
A similar warning had been given to residents of Abernethy and Erlington due to the fire in the Hunter region, but the RFS changed its advice to watch and act at around 5pm.
The Bega Valley bushfire is moving in an easterly direction, fuelled by westerly winds, but forecasts of a southerly change overnight could make containing the blaze difficult for fire crews, although it will bring some respite to the conditions.
RFS Commissioner Rob Rogers warned firefighters are in for a difficult task in the coming hours.
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"(The southerly change) is supposed to come through in another a fair few hours, I think they're talking about potentially 2am, so that could obviously cause us problems," he told 9News.
"So we'll have firefighters in that area all night to protect residences."
He said evacuation centres were set up, with tourists visiting the region during the current school holidays.
"There's holiday-makers in the area. We don't have exact numbers, but there have been evacuation centres set up," he said.
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"There's neighbourhood safer places in Bermagui itself, where people can go to if they're concerned.
"We've got more than 20 fire trucks in that area looking after the properties, so we have a lot of resources there, we've got two large air tankers hitting that fire as well.
"So we're doing whatever we can to protect people, but obviously it's going to be a long evening for people in those areas, so they just need to focus on looking after their own safety."
Victoria has also been on alert for natural disasters today, with out-of-control blazes in the Gippsland region and warnings of flash flooding as the cold front that will move towards NSW brings significant rainfall to the state.
