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National parks across Sydney are closed as the number of out-of-control fires burning under extreme conditions across parts of NSW is increasing.
The latest update from the RFS at 9:00am says 68 bushfires and grassfires are burning, there have been five new fires today and 17 fires have yet to be contained, a jump up from nine earlier this morning.
A total fire ban is in place for the Greater Sydney region, the Hunter, and the New South Wales Upper Central West Plains.
Firefighters are watching a gusty southerly change rolling up the New South Wales coastline; it’s moving through the South coast and is expected to reach Sydney overnight tonight.
The unseasonably hot and dry conditions are being felt across the southeast coast with temperatures reaching 8 to 16 degrees above average across New South Wales and Victoria.
