Two homes have been destroyed and another damaged as dozens of out-of-control winter bushfires continue to burn across NSW.
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The NSW Rural Fire Service confirmed the Bemboka fire on the south coast had burnt down two homes and four outbuildings in the Bega Valley, while 11 outbuildings were lost in the Mount Kingiman blaze nearby.
One home was confirmed damaged in the North Nowra blaze, one of 30-odd fires still out of control across the state on Thursday night.
While warnings for the three southern blazes were downgraded, watch and act alerts were in place for fires in Ellangowan and Ramornie in northern NSW.
Ramornie birdkeeper Enid Connors said her property had been blanketed in smoke by the blaze and backburning.
She was concerned about what to do with her 500 birds if erratic winds further stymied firefighters' efforts to contain the blaze, which has burned through 400 hectares.
"It's not good," Ms Connors, who owns Casuarina Parrot Gardens, told AAP.
"I don't know how I'll fit 500 birds in (my home).
"I've been seriously thinking about it."
Almost 80 fires continue to burn along the Great Dividing Range from the Queensland border to Victoria, with 33 uncontained as of 5pm AEST on Thursday.
Cooler and calmer conditions allowed several backburning operations to ramp up throughout the day, including at North Nowra.
Nine regions including Sydney have a high fire danger rating for Friday while all other areas have low-moderate ratings.
NSW RFS Commissioner Shane FitzSimons said conditions were still stacked against firefighters but they were not as poor as those experienced on Wednesday.
"We're shaping up for another front and increase in fire risk as we head into the weekend," he told the ABC.
Homes were evacuated near Milton on Wednesday as residents took shelter with friends in town.
Australian Associated Press
