Firefighters are racing against time to further contain a bushfire still burning in the Shoalhaven before another explosion of scorching weather.
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Fires smouldering near Sussex Inlet are now being controlled as the weekend’s cooler weather helped crews trying to contain the Deans Gap blaze.
However, firefighters face a battle against the weather this week as cooler temperatures and rain are expected to give way to a heatwave on Thursday and Friday.
NSW Rural Fire Service spokesman Matt Reeves said efforts had now shifted to planning for the hot conditions.
‘‘We’re expecting temperatures in the low-to-mid 30s on Thursday and in the high 30s, potentially 40 on Friday, but it’s a difficult thing to control as it’s still [several] days away,’’ he said.
‘‘We are now looking at a long-term plan to address potential problems and pick up little issues close to the containment lines so we can reduce the risk.’’
Fire teams, flying into the area by helicopter this week, are set to use infra-red technology to detect ‘‘hot spots’’ in the rocky, highly vegetated terrain while crews continue to work in the fireground.
Mr Reeves advised Sussex Inlet residents to remain wary of the blaze, which has already burned through more than 6600hectares.
The fire, which started 1.5kilometres west of Wandandian last Monday, crossed the Princes Highway on Tuesday night and continues to burn south of Sussex Inlet.
Dozens of people were evacuated from Bendalong Point Tourist Park after the RFS issued an emergency warning on Tuesday.
Mr Reeves said last week’s catastrophic fire conditions had resonated with the public, evident by online traffic.
‘‘We had record hits on our website and people were downloading bushfire survival plans in the thousands,’’ he said.
‘‘We also had very high downloads of our ‘Fires Near Me’ app, which allows people to see what’s going on within a certain perimeter, whether it’s statewide or 10 metres away from them.’’
