AN out-of-control Charmhaven fire that jumped to "emergency" level within minutes after it flared up on New Year's Eve is believed to have been deliberately lit.
NSW Police Media said there was no evidence to back social media claims that the fire was lit by youths who discarded lit cigarettes in the bush, but the fire was suspicious.
"Noone at this time has come forward to say they've witnessed the start of the fire," a NSW Police Media spokesperson said.
The blaze that started before noon left property owners along Arizona Road, Charmhaven preparing for the worst as temperatures soared and the intensity of the fire caused wild winds to push the fire front in different directions until a southerly front hit after 9pm.
"The fire went from being under control, to not under control, to under control and not under control, depending on where the winds went," said Wiseberry Charmhaven real estate agent Darin Butcher, who spent New Year's Eve with fire trucks at the back of his property, watching as flames and smoke repeatedly roared up and shifted away.
"When the smoke was thick you knew it was moving very, very quickly because it was just so dry and there's just so much fuel about. It wasn't until the southerly kicked in that we were safe. It's hard to say how close it came because it's still so smoky here but I would say it was only a few hundred metres away."
Mr Butcher and his wife moved their child and pets to stay with friends and family and had their cars ready with treasured possessions if the worst occurred.
They also watched news of deadly fires in Victoria and southern NSW where the skies turned to black and red and people fled for their lives.
"It's terrible what can happen. But when you've been through something like this I have the view that as long as people are okay you should be grateful. Property is property. It can be expensive but it's not people's lives."
The NSW Rural Fire Service issued an alert shortly before 5am today that the Arizona Road fire had started again but there was no immediate danger.
NSW Police Media said another fire in the area is believed to have had its origins in arcing power lines at Wangi Road near Summerhill Drive at 11pm on New Year's Eve. The lines are believed to have arced because of high southerly winds.
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