Firefighters from across the Sutherland Shire have joined their colleagues in battling an out of control fire in the Blue Mountains.
Firefighters from Engadine, Heathcote, Menai, Sandy Point, Waterfall, Illawong, Grays Point and Loftus rural fire brigades are battling the blaze near Wentworth Falls.
The fire was downgraded to ‘‘watch and act’’ and then ‘‘advice’’ just after 9.40pm on Sunday as rain fell near the blaze.
Earlier in the evening, an emergency warning was issued for Wentworth Falls as the fire approached houses on Coronation Road, with residents advised to seek shelter in their homes as a wall of flames threatened backyards.
The fire, which is considered suspicious, started at around 8pm on Friday night and quickly spread, flaring up in dense inaccessible bushland.
Teams are investigating how the blaze began.