there was only 5mm of rain across the fires last night.

from the fire blog New South Wales firefighters face worsening weather conditions today with hot, dry winds and temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius.

Crews have worked through the night back-burning to get a handle on several large blazes burning out of control, particularly in the Southern Highlands, the Hawkesbury and the Blue Mountains.

There are four watch-and-act alerts in place for the State Mine fire near Lithgow, the Mount Victoria fire, the Hall Road fire near Wollondilly and the Linksview Road fire near Springwood.

NSW Minister for Police and Emergency Services Mike Gallacher was blunt in his advice to those waking up in the Blue Mountains this morning, saying:

"If you don't have a plan, quite simply let me give you one - pack the car now, head down the mountain, come down and enjoy time in the metropolitan area and allow the firefighters the freedom to move through the community to protect your homes."

Since Thursday, more than 200 homes have been lost. The Rural Fire Service says more property may be lost today.