A large bushfire in the central west of New South Wales has been downgraded from an emergency warning after conditions eased overnight.

The Watch and Act alert for the Alpha Road blaze in the Tambaroora area north of Bathurst, means the blaze which has been burning since Sunday will be “monitored” but is “not yet under control”.

By Monday afternoon 635 hectares had been destroyed, with the region now under a total fire ban along with the Greater Hunter.

Despite the downgrade, the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) warned conditions could again flare up.

“Conditions have eased, however are expected to return to forecast worsening conditions on Tuesday and there is likely to be a prolonged firefighting effort over the coming days,” they said.

Conditions keep changing 

On Monday, residents were warned it was too late to leave after the fire became out-of-control, stoked by strong winds and record hot temperatures.

“The advice for those in the area of Alpha Road, Hill End Road, Ullamulla Road and Tambaroora is to seek shelter as the fire approaches,” RFS spokesperson Greg Allan said.

“It’s not going to be contained for some time probably not tomorrow, and if not until at least Wednesday at this stage.”

He said about 50 properties were under threat in the area.

“There’s been no confirmed reports of any injuries or any property loss at this stage.”

“But as conditions ease and our building impact assessments teams are able to get onto the fireground we will be able to take full stock.”

The Alpha Road fire was among more than 35 fires that kept some 440 firefighters busy into the night across the state, with crews assisted by trucks, heavy machinery and six water bombing aircraft.

Among the air tankers was the Marie Bashir which was used to drop retardant directly onto the Alpha Road fire.

Watch and Act warnings for two other fires, Burrendong and Cranbrook south of Dubbo, were downgraded to advice level.

Residents who stayed to defend their homes were advised to be on the look out for “burning embers”.