LATEST BUSHFIRE NEW FROM AAP WIRE SERVICES:
FIREFIGHTERS battling on scorched firegrounds across NSW will have 24 hours of kinder weather before severe conditions return to test the state tomorrow.
Sixty-two fires were burning across the state last night, 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 yesterday.
The Rural Fire Service is also hoping to capitalise on lower temperatures today and a drop in the north easterly winds. But tomorrow 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 yesterday, 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.
RED OCTOBER AS THE FIGHT AGAINST FIRES AND FIREBUGS GOES ON
AS NSW braces for one of the worst firestorms in memory, authorities are reeling from the shock that some of the blazes have been started by children.
With experts predicting a nightmare scenario tomorrow and - with more than 60 fires burning across NSW, 17 out of control and the risk a mega-fire could ravage the Blue Mountains - it has been revealed five children aged 15 and under have been charged over the past 48 hours with lighting fires.
