Fore those interested here's the fire locations from the sentinel satellite overlaid on the map, updates ~ 2h cycle.
https://sentinel.ga.gov.au/#/
What's interesting:
- the fire front from Newnes stretching east to Colo is slowly marching south, moving slowly upwind. Plenty of fuel, and in that country (stone pagodas and canyons) there is no way to stop it. Mt Wilson can be defended successfully, that has been done before.
- the fire front that has developed across the south of the national park stretches from east of the road to Jenolan to Camden and has already jumped a suburban road into grasslands. This fire front is being driven north-east by the prevailing wind.
Both these fire fronts are uncontrolled, there is no hope of stopping these. The implication is they will eventually meet in the middle - roughly the Blue Mountains townships along the Great Western Highway or Bells Line of Rd.
Now zoom in on Katoomba, the fire spots south of Mt Solitary are interesting. Makes me think the RFS is burning this to create a fire break to protect the residents along the Great Western Highway. But they'll have to burn everything eastwards across to Glenbrook.
If either fires enter the Grose Valley (north) or the Megalong/Jamison valleys (southside) its basically all over for the Blue Mountains - those areas haven't had a fire in 60+ years and the fuel load on the ground will produce catastrophic fires. It will all burn to Christmas, is my guess. And we'll be drinking contaminated water.