An unconfirmed number of homes have been lost to fire at Willawarrin, north-west of Kempsey.
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The fire danger at 12pm yesterday (Friday November 8) was at Severe before being upgraded to Extreme in the afternoon.
The weather conditions yesterday increased fire activity across the state.
The Toorumbee Complex fires, formerly Jacobs Spur and Armidale Road fires, have caused extensive damage to surrounding areas near Bellbrook and Willawarrin.
NSW RFS Lower North Coast Superintendent Lachlann Ison told The Argus an unconfirmed number of buildings have been lost in the Willawarrin area.
"Today we have our official building impact assessment taking place and we will asses what has been lost, damaged or saved," he said.
"There are numerous unconfirmed accounts of property damage from south of Bellbrook to east of Willawarrin and Temagog."
The Toorumbee Complex fires have burnt 49,024 hectares, while a second fire at Carrai Creek has burnt through 119,500 hectares.
"We had a reprieve at around midnight last night when the southerly change came through and we are still seeing the impact of that today," Supt Ison said.
"The fire danger is expected to rise again on Tuesday, so firefighters will have little reprieve before it becomes dangerous again."
The RFS has confirmed that three people are unaccounted for, following Friday's record-breaking 17 fires burning at emergency level across the state.
Thirty people have been injured, and more than 100 homes confirmed as destroyed in NSW.
All fires in the Kempsey council area are listed at Advice or Watch and Act. Residents are urged to monitor the fire situation through the RFS Fires Near Me website here.
The Kempsey Showground is an evacuation centre for anyone in the area who has been impacted by the fires.
- If your life is at risk, call Triple Zero (000) immediately.
- Continue to stay up to date with the bush fire situation by checking http://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au, listening to your local radio station or by calling the NSW RFS Bush Fire Information Line on 1800 679 737.
- If you live in the area but are away from home, it may not be safe to return to your property.
- For information on road closures, check http://livetraffic.rta.nsw.gov.au. Roads may be closed without warning.