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NSW Bushfires: 50 Blazes Burning Across NSW

Firefighters continue to battle out-of-control fires around the state.
Fire authorities are in for another tough day on Monday with more than 50 bushfires burning around NSW.
Handout . / Reuters
Fire authorities are in for another tough day on Monday with more than 50 bushfires burning around NSW.

Firefighters in NSW are gearing up for another tough day in the field as they work to contain two out-of-control blazes burning near Cessnock and Port Stephens.

The NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) said on Monday morning there were 50 fires currently burning around NSW, with 14 of them still uncontained.

The biggest threat to residents was the out-of-control Lone Pine fire burning near Port Stephens which is at 'Watch and Act' level, the RFS said.

Firefighters were working to get the blaze under control as it burns near Karuah, Balickera, Limeburners Creek and Swan Bay. The fire has so far torn through about 6,500 hectares.

"Conditions have eased overnight, allowing firefighters to backburn where conditions have allowed," the RFS said on its website.

The RFS said the temperature in the region was forecast to push into the low 30 degrees later in the day and that winds were expected to strengthen.

A cool change in NSW was not predicted until Wednesday, the fire agency said.

The other fire of major concern, at Cessnock, has been downgraded to 'Advice' level. It has burnt through about 900 hectares of bushland between Racecourse Road, and north of Kitchener and west of Kearsley.

"There is no immediate threat to homes," the RFS said.

RFS deputy commissioner Rob Rogers paid tribute to the work of firefighters after a tough weekend and amid the ongoing fire danger on Monday.

"They were literally battling to save people's homes and they did a wonderful job. All the agencies worked together very well and it's a credit to them there weren't serious losses," Rogers told ABC television.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull echoed Rogers' comments, cautioning locals in impacted areas to heed the advice of fire authorities.

"I want to urge everybody in those areas to follow precisely the directions of the emergency management authorities at all times," Turnbull told ABC radio.

"We owe so much to the courage, the professionalism and the dedication of the firefighters."

The emergencies across NSW mark a ferocious start to this year's bushfire season, with authorities urging residents to get a fire plan in place over summer.

Two teen boys were arrested on Saturday after they allegedly lit a fire at a campsite near Port Stephens during a total fire ban, with the blaze getting out of control.

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