Australian fire threat not over yet, authorities warn Catastrophic fires threaten Australia Fire threat eases as temperatures fall in Australian state of NSW Hot conditions move further north into Queensland, bringing with it a fire threat Blazes are still being fought in NSW, Victoria and Tasmania Record temperatures and strong winds created "catastrophic" risk on Tuesday (CNN) -- Fears that hot, dry weather would spark a deadly inferno in the Australian state of New South Wales failed to eventuate Tuesday, but authorities warned on Wednesday that the danger was not over yet. A change in wind direction brought temperatures off record highs in the southern state, but the hot conditions moved further north where temperatures were expected to reach 36 degrees Celsius (96 degrees Fahrenheit) in the Queensland capital, Brisbane. The fire danger north was rated as "very high," lower than the "catastrophic" warnings issued Tuesday in NSW where temperatures reached a record high of 43 degrees Celsius (109 degrees Fahrenheit) in Sydney. The "catastrophic warning" was lifted Wednesday but the fire risk was still considered "severe" in the northeast of the state. In "severe" conditions, the NSW Rural Fire Service warns that a fire could be "unpredictable, uncontrollable and very fast moving." We've got temperature forecasts for places like Grafton of 41 degrees (105 degrees Fahrenheit) and winds gusting up to 50 kilometers an hour (31 mph). So whilst it's not as quite as bad as yesterday, by no means is it an easy fire day now for the northern part of New South Wales," Rob Rogers, Rural Fire Service Deputy Commissioner told ABC News 24. Firefighters continued to battle 130 fires in the state on Wednesday, he said, adding that authorities' main priority was to snuff them out before a predicted temperature rise later this week. Let's not forget that towards the end of the week and into Saturday we're returning to very hot conditions. So any fires that we have burning now under these conditions will probably break containment lines if we don't get a really good hold on them early. A total fire ban remains in force in NSW and the Australian Capital Territory, the home of the Federal Parliament. The total fire ban has been lifted in Tasmania, though firefighters are still battling a number of blazes across the island state. In Victoria, flames have swept over 9,500 hectares of bushland since last Thursday, according to the Victoria Country Fire Authority, and firefighters were still battling a number of blazes Wednesday. In the early hours of Tuesday, stern warnings were issued to the people of NSW that the forecasts had proved correct and the day carried a "catastrophic" risk of fire. Prime Minister Julia Gillard went on early morning television to warn it was "dangerous day." People were urged to monitor reports and get out early if they were in the path of fast-moving and unpredictable fires. The "catastrophic" fire threat had led many to fear a repeat of "Black Saturday" in 2009, when soaring temperatures and high winds fanned the flames of a series of bush fires across the state of Victoria, leaving 173 people dead and 500 injured, and destroying thousands of homes. At that stage, firefighters were battling more than 130 fires were burning throughout NSW. The last four months of 2012 were "abnormally hot" across Australia, according to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Rescue workers urged people to contact their friends and family amid fears that as many as 100 people were missing. Police have charged a 31-year-old man for allegedly causing one of the worst of the fires by leaving a campfire unattended that was not completely extinguished.