With 873 NSW homes destroyed and another 100 likely lost, firefighters are working to contain large bushfires before conditions deteriorate again next week.
Meanwhile, more than 2000 firefighters are making crucial preparations before conditions deteriorate again across NSW.
Rain is forecast for coastal NSW north of Newcastle on Christmas Day, while Sydney will have a 50 per cent chance of rain and a maximum of 26C. Easterly winds will also shift the smoke haze blanketing the city. Crews were busy establishing these lines on Monday night and would resume backburning as soon as the elevated humidity clears, Mr Fitzsimmons said.
"We're really trying to consolidate as much as we can, secure protection as best we can ahead of what's expected to be hotter, drier and, this time, a bit more northerly in the winds," he said.Those northerlies would have the potential to drive the Gospers Mountain and Grose Valley fires down towards the townships of the Blue Mountains along the Great Western Highway.
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