A Goulburn family on holiday at Bermagui are hunkering down in the wake of an emergency level fire burning nearby.
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The Coolagolite Road fire broke out at about 12.30pm, 12km west of Bermagui, on Tuesday, October 3 and was elevated to emergency level two hours later.
Residents in the Bermagui, Cuttagee, Barragga Bay, Bunga and Murrah areas have been advised it is too late to leave and to take shelter. The RFS said at 4.20pm that the blaze was spotting "well ahead" due to strong northwesterly winds.
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Goulburn woman Natalie Eggleston has been holidaying with her family at Bermagui since Saturday.
She said the power went out across a wide area at about lunchtime.
"I looked out and saw smoke billowing up. The fire grew like a monster," she said.
"...I haven't seen smoke since but the place looks like 9/11. It's just awful."
Wind was gusting up to 56km/h earlier but had died down to almost still conditions by 5.30pm at Bermagui.
Large aerial appliances are water bombing overhead. Mrs Eggleston said people, including shop owners, were concerned but also standing on the beach taking photos.
Police advised Mrs Eggleston and her family to stay put and to keep up to date with reports.
"We're not worried. We've been given assurances and we'll be staying until Sunday," she said.
The fire stands at 5134 hectares.
RFS spokesperson, Angela Burford, said the service hoped the threat would ease but "very erratic" fire behaviour" meant the fire was spotting well ahead to the southeast, along the coast.
On late Tuesday afternoon, wind was gusting at up to 100km/h on parts of the fire ground.
"We were amazed at how quickly the fire was moving," Ms Burford said.
An expected southerly change at about midnight is expected to push the fire north to Bermagui, which the RFS will monitor "closely."
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