Wildfires tore through Australia’s New South Wales (NSW) on Saturday, destroying as many as 16 homes and forcing thousands of residents to evacuate.

The worst-hit area was the coastal town of Koolewong and surrounding suburbs on the Central Coast, roughly 45 km north of Sydney.

The fires erupted amid a brutal heatwave that pushed temperatures as high as 42 °C (108 °F), prompting authorities to issue some of the state’s highest danger warnings.

In Koolewong and nearby streets such as Nimbin Road, Glenrock Parade and Lara Street, fire crews responded to a rapidly spreading blaze that quickly overtook bushland and jumped into residential areas.

Firefighters said many homes were built on steep terrain with timber decks—structures extremely vulnerable to fire and very difficult to defend.

Beyond the Central Coast, the flames extended to other parts of NSW. Over 75 fires blazed statewide, including a major fire in the Upper Hunter region that consumed nearly 10,000 hectares.

Train services between Gosford and the Hawkesbury River have been suspended after fire damaged rail lines near Koolewong, and authorities have opened emergency shelters for displaced residents.

State officials said more than 1,500 firefighters, supported by hundreds of vehicles and aerial water-bombing aircraft, were deployed. They warned of worsening conditions overnight, as forecasts predicted lightning and strong, shifting winds that could spark new fires or cause existing ones to flare up again.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described Saturday as a “terrible day” for fire-stricken communities and urged people to heed official warnings and evacuation orders.

The disaster comes after several relatively calm fire seasons — a warning, experts say, that accumulated dry vegetation and forest debris have turned parts of NSW into a tinderbox, ready to blaze under extreme weather conditions.

Authorities have urged all residents to remain alert, to follow directions from the NSW Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS), and to prepare to evacuate if necessary. At least two major fires have now been downgraded from “Emergency Warning” to “Watch and Act,” but many remain active and dangerous. (ILKHA)