Northern NSW residents have been warned to keep monitoring an out-of-control bushfire despite firefighters beginning to gain the upper hand.
The Duck Creek Pilliga Forest blaze that threatened homes and lives overnight to Tuesday has been downgraded to a watch and act alert level after conditions eased on the fire ground.
The enormous blaze burning about 17km south of Narrabri and 21km west of Boggabri has already burned more than 112,000 hectares and remains out of control.
Video taken of the fire in The Pilliga Forest shows flames leaping into the treetops and smoke billowing hundreds of metres into the air.
Firefighters are battling the blaze on the ground and from the air, with water bombers deployed in the area.
Though the threat of the fire has been reduced, those in Baan Baa, Goolhi, Rocky Glen, Stannix Park, Bohena Creek, Jacks Creek and Wynella have been warned to monitor conditions in case the situation changes.
The fire reached emergency level overnight, as strong winds whipped the blaze into a frenzy, even generating its own weather.
“Overnight the fire generated a thunderstorm (pyro-cumulonimbus) to the southeast of the fireground, causing dangerous and erratic fire behaviour,” the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) said.
There are concerns that an ember attack could rain down burning pieces of debris on homes far away from the firefront.
“Embers will be blown long distances ahead of the main fire starting spot fires. These may impact your home earlier than the main fire ,” the RFS warned.
Smoke from the blaze is impacting a broad area of NSW from Coonamble in the west, Tamworth to the east and Dubbo to the south of the fire.
Sydney and the Hunter are also experiencing smoke despite being hundreds of kilometres away.
Those with respiratory conditions are warned that the smoke could exacerbate them and urged to take precautions.