Australian authorities urge thousands to flee New South Wales bushfires

SYDNEY - Wildfires in Australia's New South Wales burnt through thousands of hectares of bushland on Saturday, prompting the authorities to urge evacuations at the highest danger rating for thousands of residents in the nation's most-populous state.

The alert was for the Phegans Bay and Woy Woy area in the the state's central coast region, with a population of more than 350,000 people, about 45 km (30 miles) north of the state capital Sydney, Australia's largest city.

As many as 16 homes were lost as bushfires burned across the region, the Australian Broadcasting Corp reported.

"Leave now if the path is clear towards Woy Woy," the state's Rural Fire Service said on its website.

A heatwave on Saturday in New South Wales, bringing temperatures of 42 degrees Celsius (108 degrees Fahrenheit), exacerbated fire risk in the area, the Bureau of Meteorology said.

"Please look out for each other and follow advice from authorities," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement.

More than 50 bushfires were burning across the state late on Saturday, the authorities said, including a blaze in the state's Upper Hunter area, also at the highest emergency rating, which had burnt through almost 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres).

Authorities have warned of a high-risk bush fire season this Australian summer after several quiet seasons. The "Black Summer" fires of 2019-2020 destroyed an area the size of Turkey and killed 33 people.

Sam McKeith in Sydney/Reuters