ABC The fire north of Lithgow is threatening properties around the townships of Clarence and Oaky Park.Emergency warnings have been issued for three bushfires burning out of control near Lithgow, Wollongong and Newcastle.
The Rural Fire Service says a house is on fire from the blaze at Balmoral village, west of Wollongong, with another 20 properties under threat.
RFS spokeswoman Wendy Smith says residents in the area should now stay put.
"We've got prevailing winds from the west up to 80 kilometres an hour, so very unfavourable conditions at this stage," she said.
"Basically we're just urging residents to take shelter. There's no time to leave now."
Clarence fire near Lithgow
The RFS says the fire north of Lithgow has crossed Bells Line of Road and is threatening properties around the townships of Clarence and Oaky Park.
Residents are being warned to seek shelter as the fire impacts.
The fire has so far burned more than 600 hectares of bushland.
Heatherbrae fire near Newcastle
The third fire at Heatherbrae, north-east of Newcastle, has breached containment lines and is threatening nearby properties.
Smoke from the blaze has forced the closure of Newcastle Airport.
RFS spokesman Joel Kursawe says strong winds are causing havoc for fire crews.
"We have a number of crews on the ground," he said.
"They will be assisted by aircraft. Depending on how strong these winds get, they can hamper our efforts with aircraft.
"People need to be aware of what's going on. They need to keep up to date on the situation on our website and if they aren't prepared the key is to leave early."
Severe fire danger in hot and windy conditions
Earlier this morning authorities had warned of severe fire danger for the Sydney, Hunter and Illawarra-Shoalhaven districts.
Total fire bans are in place until midnight tonight for the three areas, plus the Central Ranges, North Coast and North Western districts.
The weather bureau has forecast temperatures will hit the mid-30s and that wind gusts could reach up to 80 kilometres per hour.
RFS spokesman Inspector Ben Shepherd said this morning that crews and aircraft were prepared for the tough conditions.
"The real thing we need to do is ensure the public are ready, because a well-prepared property actually assists firefighter in protecting it," he said.
"It also assists the home owner in ensuring that if a fire was to threaten that their property has the best chance of survival."
Around 60 fires are burning across the state, with 20 of them uncontained.
"The last thing we need is any new fires, especially under these conditions, because they will escalate quite quickly and potentially impact on homes and roads," Inspector Shepherd said.
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