Emergency warning as Bulahdelah bushfire cuts Pacific Highway and pushes towards Nerong

newy.com.au – An emergency-level bushfire burning on both sides of the Pacific Highway near Bulahdelah has forced major road closures and shelter warnings for residents around Crawford River and Nerong on Friday 5 December 2025.

The NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) has issued an emergency warning for people along Emu Creek Road at Crawford River, south of Booral Road, advising it is too late to leave as hot, gusty north-westerly winds drive the fire towards the small community of Nerong and close a long stretch of the highway between Nabiac and Twelve Mile Creek.

The grass and bushfire started in dry conditions south of Bulahdelah on Thursday 4 December and has since jumped the Pacific Highway, burning about five kilometres south of the town and spotting across the motorway towards Nerong.

According to the RFS, the blaze is burning on both sides of the highway in the vicinity of Crawford River and Emu Creek Road, with embers capable of travelling long distances ahead of the main fire front and starting spot fires that may reach homes well before the flames do.

At 2.05pm, the RFS escalated its alert to an Emergency Warning for Crawford River, telling people in Emu Creek Road to shelter in place as the fire approaches. “Seek shelter now or as the fire approaches … It is too late to leave,” the service said in its latest update.

A Watch and Act, Prepare Now alert remains in place for Nerong and properties along Myall Creek Road and Myall River Road, with residents there urged to follow their bush fire survival plans, prepare homes for ember attack and consider leaving early if they are not well prepared.

Fire crews from across the Mid Coast district, backed by waterbombing aircraft, are working to contain the blaze, which has already burned through hundreds of hectares of bush and scrub and continues to threaten properties on the edge of Nerong. Media reports indicate around 60 firefighters have been deployed on the ground as strong winds and steep terrain complicate efforts to build and hold containment lines.

The Pacific Highway is closed in both directions between The Bucketts Way at Twelve Mile Creek and Wallanbah Road near Nabiac, with Live Traffic NSW warning motorists to avoid the area. Light vehicles are being diverted via The Bucketts Way, Mill Street, Avalon Road and Wallanbah Road, while heavy trucks are being parked until conditions improve.

On social media, several pages have shared images of the fire burning on both sides of the highway, with thick smoke plumes visible from Bulahdelah and surrounding areas as the closure causes lengthy traffic delays.

Residents have also posted photos of smoke columns and thanked volunteers on local community pages, while admins remind people to report any fire without a firefighting appliance straight to Triple Zero (000).

The Bulahdelah fire is one of around 40 bush and grass fires burning across NSW as a severe heatwave stretches from the Kimberley to the state’s east coast, pushing temperatures into the low 40s in some inland areas.

The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast a high fire danger rating for the North Coast district, which includes the Mid Coast local government area, on both Friday and Saturday, with extreme heat and strong winds expected to peak over the weekend before a cooler change arrives.

The RFS has also issued a harvest safety alert for multiple local government areas and suspended some fire permits in response to the forecast, warning landholders that any new fire could spread quickly in the hot, dry and windy conditions.

For those already in the path of the Bulahdelah blaze, authorities are stressing the importance of following official advice rather than relying on rumours or unverified social posts, urging people to monitor Hazards Near Me, the RFS website, local radio and the Bush Fire Information Line for updates, and to check Live Traffic NSW for the latest on road closures and diversions.

The RFS says its next formal update on the Pacific Highway fire will be issued later this afternoon, or sooner if conditions change, with crews expecting another challenging day as the heatwave intensifies before a predicted cool change late on Saturday.