Sydney seeks escape from heatwave as fires threaten

Sydneysiders have flocked to beaches and pools to cool off on a sizzling summer’s day, as a heatwave stretching up the coast sparked dozens of bushfires and threatened to push temperatures even higher on Saturday.

Two bushfires reached the highest emergency levels on Friday afternoon, south of Bulahdelah on the Mid North Coast and at Beni, east of Dubbo in the state’s Central West, before being downgraded.

The Bulahdelah fire is not yet controlled but has grown to 1403 hectares in size, burning on both sides of the Pacific Highway.

The highway was closed in both directions for about 100 kilometres from Twelve Mile Creek to Nabiac, reopening about 6pm, but will possibly close again if conditions worsen on Saturday.

Four structures are believed to have been lost in the blaze, potentially houses, with damage assessments not yet confirmed. Nearby residents have been warned to prepare, seek shelter or leave their properties.

NSW Rural Fire Service district manager Ugo Tolone told Nine News the fire “looks pretty bad at the moment”.

“It’s in thick, heavy, tea tree vegetation, which puts up a lot of smoke and runs very hard,” Tolone said.

“We’re doing everything we can to obviously make the footprint as small as possible.”

The Bulahdelah fire was downgraded to the watch and act alert level by 5pm as conditions eased.

The Beni fire is burning across 196 hectares on both sides of the Golden Highway, and is being brought under control.

The blaze dropped back to the lower advice alert level after 6pm.

Dozens of other fires are also burning around the state, as the heatwave pushes temperatures well above average.

Sydneysiders descended on beaches and harbourside swim spots on Friday as the mercury peaked at 37.8 degrees in the city just before 1pm.

Bankstown and Sydney Olympic Park hit 39 degrees on Friday afternoon, while temperatures passed 40 degrees at Penrith shortly before 3pm.

In the Hunter region, Cessnock neared 40 degrees on Friday, Newcastle passed 36 degrees, and on the Central Coast, Gosford reached 38 degrees. In the Riverina most locations hovered between 38 and 40 degrees. Griffith peaked at 41 degrees.

Penrith’s famous “Pondi” beach will reopen on Saturday, a day ahead of its original schedule, when the mercury is expected to reach 41 degrees out west and 37 degrees near the harbour.

A total fire ban has been declared across much of the state on Saturday, including Sydney, the Hunter, Illawarra and Central West regions with extreme fire risk.

There is also a risk of damaging winds in the state’s south-east late on Saturday, bringing a cool change from the heatwave but threatening to stoke and spread bushfires.

The heat has already prompted races at Rosehill Gardens to be postponed until Sunday, while weekend cricket fixtures could begin earlier or later in the day to avoid the worst of the heat, depending on local conditions.

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.