Hot and dry winds caused more headaches in Victoria and NSW yesterday… In NSW, there were 2 emergency alerts issued yesterday – one for a bushfire at Kearsley (southeast of Cessnock), where residents in the area were told to take shelter as the fire moved towards them. And South Coast residents of Bermagui, Cuttagee and Barragga Bay were also warned it was too late to leave as the Coolagolite blaze burned – with relief as that fire was downgraded overnight. In Victoria’s Gippsland region, the Briagolong fire – which burned through at least 17,500 hectares – was downgraded as the cool change began to move through yesterday afternoon. Residents in the coastal towns of Seacombe and Loch Sport were “incredibly relieved” when rain started to fall, helping firies bring a blaze there under control. Next up: eastern Victoria can expect flash flooding and potentially snow later this week…