Almost 700 homes have been lost in New South Wales alone since the beginning of the year. In addition, 20 lives have been lost since October, and authorities expect the toll of destruction to continue to climb as assessment teams get access to burnt out areas.
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In its latest assessment of the impact of the bushfires, the New South Wales Rural Fire Service has confirmed that 1588 houses have been destroyed during the current fire season, including 672 since January 1, as well as 3122 outbuildings and 123 facilities.
A further 653 houses and 1338 other structures have been damaged across NSW, and authorities warn the fire threat is far from over.
A fire burning in the Namadgi National Park is under control and poses no threat to property, but massive blazes to the east, south and west continue to burn out of control as firefighters work to build containment lines ahead of an expected deterioration in weather conditions later this week.
ACT Emergency Services said cooler temperatures and light winds were assisting fire crews in extinguishing the blaze at Hospital Hill, near Boboyan Road about 65 kilometres south of Canberra, and establish containment lines.
The fire will continue to be monitored in coming days.
But major fires are continuing to burn out of control along the South Coast and in the Snowy Mountains.
The New South Wales Rural Fire Service said about 2000 firefighters were on duty across the state battling 130 blazes.
But milder conditions have provided a temporary reprieve from dangerous fire activity, and all blazes are currently at advice level.
The massive Dunns Road fire, which tore through Batlow and so far covers more than 313,000 hectares, is burning on multiple fronts and is still out of control. Firefighters are concerned blazes in Green Valley, Talmalmo and East Ournie Creek areas may merge.
But the RFS said conditions have eased with the onset of milder weather, giving crews the chance to slow the fire's spread and establish containment lines.
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Further south, multiple fires to the north of Adaminaby continue to burn out of control but firefighters, assisted by heavy machinery, are working to slow their spread, and assessment teams are being deployed to begin assessing property damage.
The Good Good fire, which has burned through almost 27,000 hectares inland from Narooma and Bermagui, is still out of control, and the focus of crews is to protect property.
In good news for communities that for weeks have been living under threat from the massive Currowan blaze burning between Batemans Bay and Nowra and east of Braidwood, the RFS said it is being brought under control.
The RFS said the fire, which has burnt through more than 303,000 hectares, has become less active as temperatures and winds have moderated.
But the blaze has jumped the Shoalhaven River and is burning into Kangaroo Valley, and authorities have advised residents to be alert for embers and spot fires, and to monitor conditions.
Closer to Canberra, the North Black Range fire at Palerang is under control.
With the easing fire threat, several major roads have been re-opened, though travelers between Canberra and the South Coast still have to make significant detours.
The Princes Highway has been reopened in all areas except a stretch from Kiah, south of Eden, to the Victorian border, which is closed in both directions.
Kings Highway also remains closed between Braidwood and Batemans Bay, and Transport for NSW has advised that nearby Araluen Road has also been closed due to unsafe conditions, and is not a suitable detour for Kings Highway.
Cooma Road, linking Cooma and Braidwood, has also been closed in both directions.
In the Snowy Mountains, Kosciuszko Road between Jindabyne and Charlotte Pass is closed, and Alpine Way is closed between Crackenback and Khancoban.
Roads to the south of Tumut are also closed, as is the Snowy Mountains Highway between Adelong and the Hume Highway.