Firefighters have gained the upper hand against a bushfire that raged toward homes on the NSW south coast with the help of waterbombing aircraft.
The Rural Fire Service issued an emergency warning after 12.30pm on Monday saying to residents in West Nowra: "People are advised to take shelter as the fire front approaches".
Several fires burned and the RFS advised residents it was too late to leave.
But Thor, the large air tanker, began reigning the blaze in, even as dry and windy conditions made battling the fire problematic on the ground.
"It was very dark black gloomy looking smoke but that big thing came in and knocked it over quickly," RFS commander John Dun told Fairfax Media.
The fires are being treated as suspicious after RFS crews spent much of the weekend extinguishing three separate blazes.
"Thank goodness for the wonderful volunteers at the NSW RFS whose hard work means my neighbours and I should have homes to go home to tonight," one resident posted on Facebook.
Meanwhile, another bushfire broke in the Royal National Park, south of Sydney, and was declared out of control.
The RFS was responding to more than 100 fires across the state as evening fell on Monday.
