Sydney on fire alert as temperatures hit the mid 30s A bushfire is threatening homes in the NSW Hawkesbury region, with residents told it is too late to leave. THREE bushfires have been upgraded to "Watch and Act" by the Rural Fire Service, with residents near one blaze told it was now "too late to leave their home." A total fire ban was issued by authorities across the state today as temperatures as high as 35C and winds created dangerous conditions for firefighters. A bushfire in Laws Farm Rd in Lower Portland, in the Hawkesbury area, was upgraded to "Watch and Act" by the RFS this afternoon, but could be upgraded to "Emergency Warning" shortly if the conditions fail to ease. A statement issued by the RFS read: "If you are in the area of Laws Farm Rd, Ski Lodge Rd, Water Ski Parade, Cumberland Reach Rd and Holmes Drive, it is too late to leave. Seek shelter if the fire impacts on your property. Protect yourself from the heat of the fire. A grass fire on Mountain Ash Rd and Taralga Rd in Goulburn also has authorities concerned. An RFS spokesman said 22 tankers and six aircraft are at the fire scene in the Hawksbury area as well as more than 100 firefighters. He said about 10 hectares of bushland has been destroyed by the blaze.