“Embers will be blown long distances ahead of the main fire front starting spot fires, these may impact your home earlier than the main fire front,” the RFS warned.
The blaze at Koolewong on Saturday afternoon.Credit: Angus Dalton
Residents were urged to flee if the path towards Woy Woy was clear.
“Do not wait. Roads may become blocked or access may change, smoke may reduce visibility,” the Fires Near Me app, run by the RFS, warned.
Those who cannot leave are urged to take shelter from the heat of the fire.
“Act now to protect yourself and your family. Conditions may get worse quickly. Leaving at the last minute is deadly,” the advice reads.
It’s not yet clear how many homes or structures have been impacted.
There are reports at least one home, near the Mid North Coast town of Bulahdelah, has also been claimed by a bushfire. The Bulahdelah fire has burnt through more than 2600 hectares and is not yet under control.
Trains have stopped running between Gosford and the Hawkesbury River on the Central Coast and Newcastle Line as firefighters battle the Koolewong blaze, which the RFS reports is “being controlled”.
Wright said the fire was also impacting traffic along the Pacific Highway.
“The smoke from the bushfire is being seen from kilometres away, residents in suburbs as far away as Empire Bay have been sending me through photos of a thick cloud of smoke.”
Stranded commuters at Woy Woy station. Credit: Angus Dalton
The temperature at Observatory Hill reached 33 degrees at 12.30pm, but dropped to 32 degrees by 3.20pm, when the temperature passed 40 degrees at Sydney Olympic Park. The heat was forecast to rise to 39 degrees in the Sydney CBD and 41 degrees in Penrith by 3pm, temperatures indicating Sydney’s hottest day since January 2024.
A total fire ban is in place as the Rural Fire Service attempts to contain a fire in Bulahdelah
Residents near the Goulburn River National Park in the Upper Hunter are also being urged to prepare now while the Rural Fire Service brings a 8600-hectare fire under control.
Members of the Singh, Boparai, and Hoju families at Penrith Beach.Credit: Sitthixay Ditthavong
In Dubbo, a fire on both sides of the Golden Highway is burning in an easterly direction under gusty westerly winds.
People spend the hot afternoon at Macallum Seawater pool.Credit: Oscar Colman
“Fire activity is likely to increase today – residents should be prepared to take action,” the Rural Fire Service said in an update on Saturday morning.
The smoke from the fires has drifted across Sydney and the Central Coast, blanketing the city in a light haze.
The heatwave will cause inconvenience for commuters in Sydney who are being forced onto replacement buses on the Sydney metro as Transport NSW undertakes track work between in one of the busiest sections of the line between Chatswood and Sydenham.
People on the Jetty at Clifton Gardens.Credit: Oscar Colman
Trains are replacing metro services between Chatswood, Epping, the CBD and Sydenham this weekend. Track work is also planned on the T4 Eastern Suburbs Line with buses replacing trains between Central and Bondi Junction.
The Bureau of Meteorology’s Tristan Sumarna said the heat was being driven by a high-pressure system entering the Tasman Sea.
“It’s becoming a little bit slow-moving, so it’s bringing a persistent north-westerly wind,” Sumarna said.
Raphael with an ice cream at Penrith Beach. Credit: Sitthixay Ditthavong
“That is bringing that hot, dry, continental air mass from central Australia to our part of the world, which is driving up those temperatures and lowering the relative humidity as well.”
Sydneysiders flocked to the water again on Saturday including at Penrith Beach which opened a day ahead of schedule.
Rozema sisters Ava, 9, and Eli, 7, from Penrith, take advantage of Penrith Beach opening early. Credit: Sitthixay Ditthavong
The swim spot nicknamed Pondi has had its hours extended, with new onsite amenities including more shade and outdoor showers in preparation for its third summer operating.
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The City of Sydney has also made all aquatic centres free to enter on Saturday as part of a summer open day.
A sharp cool change is expected to push the mercury down to 26 degrees on Sunday.
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