In what NSW authorities are hailing as some much-needed 'good news', a man who was missing in a fire near Lithgow has been found.
With the worst of a distorting southerly blast over, authorities said they must now count the cost of a horror day on the state's fire grounds.
RFS commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons described Saturday as"awful" for firefighters, with up to 20 homes lost to the immense Gospers Mountain fire alone.At least two more properties were razed near Batemans Bay on the south coast, and others at Balmoral southwest of Sydney. Southerly winds moving upstate on Saturday evening fanned flames in new directions and caused erratic fire behaviour, before creating cooler conditions for the 3000 firefighting and emergency personnel in the field.With forecasts predicting close to a week of advantageous conditions across NSW, Mr Fitzsimmons said his crews would"make hay".
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