Main points from 8pm RFS briefing:
- The Gateshead fire near Newcastle is still a threat. People are warned to be vigilant. List of evacuation centres can be found here.
- Six other fires are at watch-and-act. Situation remains dynamic.
- Residents from the Blue Mountains area, along the Great Western Highway, can head home being mindful of smoke and fires in surrounding region.
- The RFS plans to reopen as many schools as possible tomorrow.
- The RFS says all areas west of Bilpin will be watched closely overnight and tomorrow. Gusts of up to 90km/hr are expected. 10-15 percent humidity will mean dry, challenging conditions for firefighters.
- Hotter conditions expected Tuesday/Wednesday of next week. The RFS are seeking to get the upper hand over the current fires.
- There are still many active fires across the Blue Mountains and crews will be back burning tonight.
- 'We cannot afford to become complacent...there's literally thousands and thousands of kilometres of active fire ground,' says the RFS Commissioner.
- "I don't think anyone is shying from how this fire started...All we did with this investigation was to confirm the speculation that was around last Wednesday," RFS Commissioner Fitzsimmons says.
The worst of the unparalleled fire risk faced by the Blue Mountains has been averted as it emerged army explosives training started the massive blaze which has threatened thousands of homes and lives.
The Rural Fire Service (RFS) said an investigation had found the Department of Defence training exercise last week was responsible for causing the State Mine blaze near Lithgow which has burnt out more than 46,000 hectares and sparked fears of turning into a "mega-fire".
"The investigation has concluded the fire started as a result of exploding ordinances on the range on (last) Wednesday," a RFS spokesman said.
The Department of Defence would not confirm the RFS's findings, but Blue Mountains mayor Mark Greenhill said he was not happy at all and has not yet heard from the department.
"I would have thought the community of the Blue Mountains is owed something," he told the ABC.
Mr Greenhill said even though there was no fire ban on the day, the explosives exercise should not have gone ahead.
"I would have hoped on a day like that which was a dry day, a hot day, with the winds - the Australian military would have known it was not a good day to be igniting," he said.
"The fire has caused great concern to my community, great damage to my community and it just shouldn't have happened.
"It's the damage it does to the community and the stress it causes. There's the damage it does in terms of the risks taken by the firefighters, there's the damage it does in terms of the costs to the community in terms of fighting the fire.
"And it's still going."
Defence said it was still conducting its own investigation.
NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell said it shouldn't be forgotten that the defence department had also provided a lot of firefighting assistance.
"I want to ensure that this doesn't detract from the efforts that defence have made over the past week in assisting the state's emergency services battle these fires," he told the Seven Network.
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