It was 38 degrees outside, and even more stifling inside as residents packed into Kangaroo Valley Hall on Saturday afternoon for a community bushfire update.
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Those who couldn't fit inside listened at open windows or followed the live stream of the meeting on their phones.
As he has done at other meetings and press conferences, Incident Controller for the Shoalhaven and Eurobodalla fires, Superintendent Mark Williams, reminded people that the fires currently burning were all but "impossible to contain".
He painted a grim picture of the giant Currowan fire's slow advance north, with fire crews desperate to stop it at the Shoalhaven River, effectively using the river as a containment line.
But that effort will be at the mercy of turbulent weather conditions expected in the coming days.
This weather, and numerous other variables, made it impossible for him to say if or when fire might impact on the communities of Kangaroo Valley, Upper Kangaroo River, Fitzroy Falls, Beaumont, Barrengarry, Brogers Creek and Wattamolla.
He said the weather would worsen over the next four days culminating on Monday with predicted 40 degree temperatures ahead of a late southerly on Tuesday.
Supt Williams described these as catastrophic conditions such as we have already experienced, which could result in dry thunderstorms and an erratically moving fire front that could spot up to 12 kms.
"It is likely that the fire will approach the Shoalhaven River, and may cross at anytime. I'd like to stand up here and tell you when that will occur, but there are so many variables," he said.
He said everybody north of the river needs to be increasingly aware of the latest updates on a fire that, at the moment, has the upper hand on firefighters.
When asked for the worst case scenario, he said in the worst conditions, the fire could jump the river and be in Kangaroo Valley within hours, continuing its way to Fitzroy Falls.
He asked people who were considering choosing to stay and defend to consider this very carefully, saying residents needed to be physically and mentally prepared for what is a "harrowing event".
"If you are questioning yourself your best option is to leave and leave early," he said.
Depending on the situation, he said the first message residents might receive is "shelter in place".
"If we say that, then that is your safest option," he said. "We do not give out this advice lightly."
Given the few access roads in and out of the valley, he said this message may be sent because all roads out were blocked off, rather than because of the impact of fire.
A similar situation occurred last week for residents of Sussex Inlet.
He also assured residents that if fire was threatening the valley local firefighting resources would return ahead of the fire.
"We will not rob Kangaroo Valley of its resources," he said, saying local resources are always returned when fire is impacting as they are in the best position to protect their communities.
He also gave assurances that special counter-measures were in place to protect the historic Hampden Bridge, and all bridges in the Shoalhaven.
His final words to the crowd; "I implore you all, right here, right now, to prepare."
