Mass evacuations amid NSW bushfire emergency

A massive evacuation from NSW, being dubbed one of the biggest in Australia's history is still ongoing, as motorists are being dragged out of NSW's south coast before extreme fire conditions kick in tomorrow.

Tens of thousands of people have fled from the state's fire-ravaged region and, elsewhere in the state, there's a 10am deadline for people to leave Kosciuszko National Park.

A bushfire is expected to hit the 1300-strong township of Batlow as other NSW communities prepare for extreme conditions.

Smoke rises from wildfires burning in East Gippsland, Victoria as thousands of people attempt to flee the area. Photo /DELWP Gippsland via AP

All people in the Snowy Valley town were ordered to leave by Thursday night, with the 130,000-hectare Dunns Road fire expected to hit on Friday afternoon.

Overnight the state's RFS said emergency services have started escorting vehicles northbound up the Princes Highway, between Milton and Nowra.

It's a journey that should normally take 90 minutes, but instead it's taking up to seven hours — with fuel, food and water in short supply in the region.

Emergency Services have started escorting vehicles on the Princes Hwy, northbound, btwn Milton & Nowra. Due to heavy traffic, this process will take at least 6 – 7 hours to complete. The hwy may close at short notice due to firefighting operations. #nswrfshttps://t.co/UxB9vJaAnC pic.twitter.com/SbXjyvxTch

— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) January 2, 2020

Police overnight were escorting 100 cars at a time, but one convoy was halted midway due to dangerous trees.

Bega MP and Transport Minister Andrew Constance, who managed to save his house from the fire that tore through Malua Bay, said it was the "largest relocation of people out of the region in history".

"It's going to be a blast furnace," Constance told the Sydney Morning Herald.

Wildfires burn in East Gippsland in Victoria. Tens of thousands of people are being evacuated from New South Wales's south coast as the fire threat grows. Photo / DELWP Gippsland via AP

Hi world. The scale of evacuation in Australia's South coast right now is truly massive.

The area marked by @NSWRFS as a 'leave zone' ~ = London, or NYC. pic.twitter.com/yAnZltBRpy

— Ketan Joshi (@KetanJ0) January 2, 2020

Very high fire danger is forecast for districts on or immediately west of the Great Dividing Range, while Saturday is expected to be severe or extreme across most of the state's southeast.

More than 100 fires are still burning across the state, with many of the most dangerous in the southeast.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Thursday declared a week-long state of emergency from today until January 9.

"We don't take these decisions lightly," she said.