Firefighters are warning of a return to high temperatures and dry winds across NSW on Monday. Source: AAP
FIREFIGHTERS battling on scorched firegrounds across NSW will have 24 hours of kinder weather before severe conditions return to test the state on Wednesday.
Sixty-two fires were burning across the state on Monday with 17 uncontained and emergency warnings for residents of the Blue Mountains townships of Bilpin, Berambing and Springwood.
Rural Fire Service (RFS) Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said the prospect of three fires in the Blue Mountains linking up to form a mega blaze may have been successfully thwarted by extensive backburning on Monday.
The Rural Fire Service is also hoping to capitalise on lower temperatures on Tuesday and a drop in the north easterly winds.
But Wednesday was shaping as "D-Day", the RFS said.
"The weather situation continues to firm up as being problematic over the next 48 hours with a continuance of similar conditions to today, albeit a marginal reduction of temperatures for tomorrow, before we see wind strengths dominate much of the fire affected areas," Mr Fitzsimmons said.
"But also more broadly right up through the Hunter and the Central Ranges Metropolitan and Illawarra regions, we can expect to see most of those areas with widespread severe fire danger ratings."
Mr Fitzsimmons said there was the potential for extreme fire danger in the greater Sydney area.
And, while the Springwood backburning may have averted a mega fire, there were still concerns the Mount Victoria and State Mine blazes will merge on the western edge of the mountains to form a massive fire.
"Earlier projections were that it had every potential of all three fires joining together," RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said.
"We can't rule it out but hopefully at this stage, with everything that's been going on in the last 24 hours or so, we've lessened the likelihood of that occurring."
Spotfires had hampered back burning efforts in the State Mine fire late on Monday, while lightning strikes across the state without any rainfall will also cause problems overnight, Mr Fitzsimmons said.
NSW remains in a state of emergency and premier Barry O'Farrell defended the powers emergency authorities have been handed to order evacuations.
"We do know in these situations at times there are people who resist the request of emergency authorities to leave, that not only puts their lives at risk but also puts at risk the lives of emergency personnel," he told ABC TV. "You do need to have these (powers), as draconian as they appear, to ensure that people obey the law at these times."
An emergency alert issued for Wilton in the NSW Southern Highlands from a fire at Balmoral was downgraded to watch and act on Monday night after residents were threatened by ember showers and spot fires.
Emergency alerts remained in place for the tiny village of Berambing on Monday night, with embers from the nearby State Mine Fire on Bells Line of Road blowing towards the community.
Residents in nearby Bilpin have also been told to shelter with increasing spot fire activity in the area.
Meanwhile five children, including an 11-year-old boy, have been arrested accused of lighting the blazes that ripped through parts of NSW last week.
Police arrested a 15-year-old and the 11-year-old for their alleged roles in a bushfire that burnt through 5000 hectares in the Hunter Valley, forced the Newcastle Airport to close and destroyed a number of sheds.
A 14-year-old was also arrested for allegedly lighting a fire at Rutherford on Sunday and two girls, 12 and 14, are accused of sparking a blaze at Bonnyrigg last Friday.
NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said it was disturbing young people had been arrested.
"We have been sending messages and the message I continue to send to parents is this: look after your children, understand where they are if you can, know who they are with, know what they are doing," he told reporters.
More than 200 homes have been lost in the bushfires, with the insurance bill hitting $94 million with 855 claims.
