Australian fire officials say the threat to the Blue Mountains west of Sydney “has been averted” for the day, but warn the crisis is far from over.
Residents should be able to return to their homes later on Wednesday, New South Wales Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said.
But Mr Fitzsimmons warned that fresh challenges lay ahead in the coming days amid unfavourable conditions.
In total, 71 fires are burning across the state, 29 of which are uncontained.
Emergency alerts remain in place for two areas – near the city of Newcastle, north of Sydney, and in Springwood, to the west.
Fire officials had warned that Wednesday’s combination of high temperatures, low humidity and strong winds could lead to more devastation.
Hundreds of homes have already been destroyed as more than 3,000 firefighters battle to contain the bushfires in Australia’s most populous state.
‘Stay vigilant’
The Blue Mountains, a popular tourist area west of Sydney, has been worst hit, with three huge fires burning in the region since Thursday.
A state of emergency was declared at the weekend.
Fire crews have been trying to contain the fires with a combination of aggressive back-burning, building lines of containment and strategic planning.
On Tuesday, they merged two of the fires – State Mine near Lithgow and Mount Victoria – in order to prevent them linking up with the third.
Shane Fitzsimmons said the strategy had worked. “It is absolutely wonderful it did not run,” he said of the merged blaze.
“If you have been someone that has chosen to depart the Blue Mountains today, to be out of harm’s way, then it would be safe to head back home tonight because the risk has been averted,” he said on Wednesday.
But he warned people to remain extra-vigilant.
“There are still fires flaring up, impacting on communities,” he said. “There’s every prospect we’re going to see some more.”
