The heat wave has struck with emergency crews warning of the “catastrophic fire conditions”, and as of the time of this publishing, there are 76 fires burning in New South Wales.
Thousands of residents of the NSW central west have been urged to leave their homes and head south as fires have breached some containment lines. The towns of Uarbry and Turill have also been evacuated.
A statement released from the NSW Rural Fire Service states that ““In these conditions, the fire will spread quickly, it will be difficult for firefighters to contain the fire”. They add, “Homes are not designed to withstand fires in these conditions and may not offer safety.
“Emergency alert telephone messages are being sent to people in the area.”