Out-of-control fire rips through Central Coast, forcing evacuations and destroying homes amid record heat in NSW

Twelve homes have been lost in an out-of-control bushfire burning on the NSW Central Coast. An emergency warning is in place for Koolewong, about 90km north of Sydney, as a fierce blaze tears through bushland. Properties that line the waterfront were engulfed in flames as the fire rapidly spread around Nimbin Rd. Residents were told they were at risk and to leave now if the path was clear towards Woy Woy. “Leaving at the last minute is deadly,” the warning read. Central Coast Councillor Jared Wright told NewsWire the thoughts of the entire region were with the impacted families. “In times of crisis, The Central Coast community always bands together to support each other, and I know that will occur in the hours, days and weeks ahead,” he said. Residents in Milsons Gully in the Upper Hunter Region have been told they are in danger and that it is too late to leave. An emergency warning was upgraded for Baerami, Baerami Creek, Widden, Yarrawa and Kerrabee as the fire spread across a large area shortly before 3pm on Saturday. Authorities warned that embers were blowing long distances ahead of the main fire front, starting spot fires that could affect homes before the main fire arrived. “If you are caught in the path of the fire, you may die or be injured,” the warning stated. NSW Rural Fire Service spokesman has confirmed more than 50 fires are burning across the state, which has been hit with hot and windy conditions. Four homes have been lost in a separate fire that has burnt through 2596 hectares on the Mid Coast over the past few days. The fire jumped across both sides of the M1 Pacific Highway near Booral Rd at Crawford River and continues to burn on Saturday. The highway was closed, but has reopened with one lane operating in both directions. Regional Rail networks have also been disrupted by the fires with services stopped between Gosford and Hornsby. Mr Wright said replacement buses were starting to flow through more regularly from Hornsby, but the line was about 300m long. “Staff are handing out water as it’s over 40 degrees in the station and there are young and elderly in the queue,” he said. “The station staff at Hornsby Station have been simply exceptional and have done a great job to help organise people swiftly. “Most buses are going to Gosford only, but they are doing a few bespoke Woy Woy services.” Heatwave warnings have been issued for parts of NSW, Queensland, the Northern Territory, and Western Australia. A severe warning is in place for the Hunter, Metropolitan, Illawarra, South Coast, Central Tablelands and Southern Tablelands, in NSW. Four homes have already been lost along the states Mid Coast after a fire burnt through more than 2600 hectares as of Saturday evening. The fire is not yet controlled, with firefighters supported by waterbombing aircraft overnight to tackle the blaze. “We’re expecting things to heat up quickly now that the sun is up,” Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist Christie Johnson said on Saturday. “This is the third day of hot temperatures for many areas, so we are seeing that heat building over a couple of days and often the third day is the most dangerous day for heatwave conditions due to the heat build up … and the warm nights overnight not giving much relief from that heat. “It’s really important for everybody to stay safe and stay cool.” The high temperatures weren’t enough to keep people away from the beach, though, with eager swimmers and sunbakers flocking to Cronulla Beach on Saturday. Temperatures are set to reach 39C in the city, while areas like Penrith could hit as high as 41C. An extreme fire danger alert was issued for the Greater Sydney Region on Saturday. “Extreme fire danger means that any fires that start today will be very hard to control and the RFS advises people in areas of extreme fire danger to action their bush fire survival plan,” Ms Johnson said. A total fire ban was also put in place across the Greater Sydney Region, Central Ranges, North Western, Illawarra/Shoalhaven, Greater Hunter, Upper Central West Plains, Northern Riverina, Lower west Central Plains and Eastern Riverina for Saturday. ‘Extreme’ heatwave An extreme heatwave warning has been issued for the Kimberley, Pilbara and North Interior in Western Australia. Meanwhile, severe heatwave warnings were put in place for the Daly and Gregory in the Northern Territory, as well as The Gulf Country and North West in Queensland. Bourke in NSW’s far north west is tipped to reach a maximum of 43C on Saturday, with Sydney not too far behind at a top of 39C. Brisbane is in for a top of 30C, while areas like Longreach in the state’s central west may hit up to 41C. Alice Springs is also expected to hit 42C, with Darwin significantly cooler at 33C. Perth is only tipped to hit a top of 27C, but areas like Karratha might experience temperatures of up to 41C. Aussies have been urged to pull out the fans or air conditioner to keep cool as temperatures soar. “Severe heatwaves can be dangerous for many people, especially older people, babies, children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, people with medical conditions and people who are unwell,” the Bureau of Meteorology stated in a warning. “Seek a place to keep cool, such as your home, a library, community centre or shopping centre. “Close your windows and draw blinds, curtains or awnings early in the day to keep the heat out of your home.”