Grassfire smoke covers Sydney motorway November 8, 2013 - 4:53PM A fire that is threatening properties in Sydney's west is now affecting visibility on a major motorway. Smoke from a grassfire burning south of Elizabeth Drive at Kemps Creek in Liverpool is blowing over the M7, says the Rural Fire Service (RFS). "People need to avoid the area as much as possible, even from the smoke hazard and driving in the smoke," RFS deputy commissioner Rob Rogers told Fairfax Radio on Friday. An emergency warning was issued for areas surrounding Elizabeth Drive, including Gurner Avenue, Fourth Avenue, Eighteenth Avenue and Seventeenth Avenue at Austral. By 4.30pm (AEDT) it had been downgraded to a watch and act alert, but was still close to properties. "Fire is burning right up to the back fences," Mr Rogers said. We haven't got huge winds, but it's hot enough and dry enough, so it doesn't need that. The RFS is also responding to reports that fire is damaging buildings at the Sydney International Shooting Centre in Cecil Park. Additional crews have been sent to the area as a precaution against spot fires caused by embers. The RFS says smoke will be a problem for motorists, with Friday afternoon a particularly busy time. Anyone who doesn't need to be in the area is asked to avoid it.