The Currowan fire could reach Kangaroo Valley just a few hours after jumping the Shoalhaven River, according to a Rural Fire Service Superintendent.
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Worried residents packed the local hall on Saturday to be briefed on the bushfire risk from Incident Controller for the Shoalhaven and Eurobodalla fires, Superintendent Mark Williams.
That risk was high, with Supt Williams saying the Currowan fire - started by a lightning strike - was all but "impossible to contain".
He painted a grim picture of the giant Currowan fire's slow advance north, with fire crews desperate to stop it at the Shoalhaven River, effectively using the river as a containment line.
But that effort will be at the mercy of turbulent weather conditions expected in the coming days, with the possibility of the fire front spotting up to 12 kilometres ahead.
"It is likely that the fire will approach the Shoalhaven River, and may cross at anytime. I'd like to stand up here and tell you when that will occur, but there are so many variables," he said.
When asked for the worst case scenario, he said in the worst conditions, the fire could jump the river and be in Kangaroo Valley within hours, then heading to Fitzroy Falls.
He asked people who were considering choosing to stay and defend to consider this very carefully, saying residents needed to be physically and mentally prepared for what is a "harrowing event".
"If you are questioning yourself your best option is to leave and leave early," he said.
He also assured residents that if fire was threatening the valley local firefighting resources would return ahead of the fire.
"We will not rob Kangaroo Valley of its resources," he said, saying local resources are always returned when fire is impacting as they are in the best position to protect their communities.
He also gave assurances that special measures were in place to protect the historic Hampden Bridge, and all bridges in the Shoalhaven.
His final words to the crowd; "I implore you all, right here, right now, to prepare."
As Sunday afternoon, some roads in the area remained closed, including Turpentine Road, Braidwood Road, the Kings Highway and Araluen Road between Braidwood and Moruya.
The Princes Highway is open but the speed limit in the Nowra Hill area has been dropped to 80km/h.