There are three bushfires burning at emergency level in New South Wales, with some residents warned it’s too late to leave.
A fire at Willi Willi National Park and Boonanghi Nature Reserve, near Kempsey and north of Port Macquarie, is threatening dozens of homes.
The blaze is moving in multiple directions, and westerly winds have caused the fire to spread across Toorumbee Road.
People in the area have been instructed by the New South Wales Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) to seek shelter as it’s too late to leave.
“If you are in the Torumbee Road area your life is at risk. Seek shelter in a solid structure such as a house. Do not be caught in the open in the path of the fire,” the latest emergency warning reads.
Anyone east of Moparrabah along Willi Willi Road with a clear path is instructed to head east towards Kempsey.
A southerly change is expected this evening which will see the fire move in a more northerly direction, the NSW RFS said.
Further north, a third bushfire is at emergency level near Byron Bay, where blazes have been shrouding the beach town in smoke for days.
A blaze in the Upper Horseshoe Creek area, 11 kilometres north-east of Kyogle and west of Nimbin, is threatening homes.
People in the areas of Sargents Road, Horseshoe Creek Road and Wainwrights Road have been told it’s too late to leave.
Earlier, another large bushfire burning near Byron Bay, which started on Saturday, was brought under control.
Despite the fire conditions improving today, the RFS has urged residents in the area to keep monitoring the situation, as increasing winds may change the fire’s behaviour.
A total fire ban remains in place for large parts of New South Wales, including the Greater Sydney, Greater Hunter, Far North Coast, North Western, Northern Slopes, and New England regions.
