Parents evacuate their children from Minmi School, near Newcastle, where a new fire has broken out. Picture: Nat Wallace Source: Twitter
Dozens of fire trucks including those from Queensland and Melbourne are staged near Flemington Street, Homebush ready to assist with the bushfire emergency in the NSW Blue Mountains and Southern Highlands. Picture: Bill Hearne Source: DailyTelegraph
Every hour counts on bushfire D-Day Source: News Limited
Debbie Hague, 4, in Bell with her pet named 'Joey'. Her family have been unwilling to leave ahead of the bushfire crisis. Picture: Alex Coppel. Source: News Limited
FIRES in the Blue Mountains remain largely under control, as new blazes have broken out near Newcastle.
An emergency warning has been issued for a fire west of Newcastle that has closed the northbound lanes of the M1, the main road route between Sydney and Brisbane. Traffic is being diverted through Newcastle.
The NSW Rural Fire Service says the fire is burning in the area of Stockrington Road, west of the M1, and is heading towards Minmi.
Children were being evacuated from Minmi Public School to the local community centre, the RFS said.
Emergency alert telephone messages are being sent to residents in the area, who are advised to seek shelter.
A fire at Cooranbong, in Lake Macquarie, briefly resulted in the M1 being closed, but was being brought under control.
Firefighters battling an uncontained blaze at Balmoral, in the southern highlands were "doing very well".
Strong winds in the NSW Blue Mountains had earlier prevented waterbombing of fires burning in the region as conditions deteriorated.
NSW Fire Service Deputy Commissioner Rob Rogers says there is concern for the situation at Mt York in the mountains.
''Crews struggling to contain the Mt York fire. Reports fire is crowning but still in containment lines at this stage,'' Mr Rogers said on Twitter.
In the Faulconbridge and Springwood areas, where most of the devastation occurred last Thursday, firefighters and helicopters extinguished two fires this afternoon that had jumped containment lines as gusting winds continue to whip the region.
Both fires were started by embers which had crossed containment lines, from fires deliberately lit in recent days during back-burning operations.
Winmallee resident Tim Cooling's home, on Uncle Wattlebury Crescent in Faulconbury, sits up against hundreds of hectares of national park and is surrounded by dry scrub and gumtrees.
A fire erupted in the valley directly below his home at about midday, but quick responding firefighters - who have remained permanently stationed in the area in recent days - were able to quickly bring the blaze under control.
A fire fighting helicopter, which scooped water from a water trap on a nearby golf course, also helped to contain the blaze and prevent it spreading.
"Last week we lost my Mum's home, the home I grew up in, which is nearby," Mr Cooling told The Australian.
He said he had been actively removing shrubbery and taking precautions to protect his home, but believed the worst was over.
"It won't be as bad as last week, that was one in a million," Mr Cooling said.
NSW Fire Service arm Strike Force Foxtrot yesterday patrolled streets in the area - many of which were culdersacks and backed directly onto the dense scrub.
Backburning had not occurred near many of those homes placing at substantially increased risk.
Many residents had left the region, but a number had chosen to stay.
Some deciding to stay and fight to save their homes in case fire struck, while others had packed cars, prepared to exit if the worst arrived.
In front of many homes residents had erected signs for firefighters directing them to hydrants and others to water tanks located on their properties, which were now required to be installed in new homes in high fire danger areas.
Others offered simply words of appreciation and encouragement for fire crews.
Additional reporting: AAP
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