70 firefighters will be on the ground throughout New Year's Eve to contain the 90 hectare blaze south of Port Macquarie

The fire started at 4.20 am this morning at Elkhorn Trail near the Port Macquarie golf course and has burned over 90 hectares of coastal heath.

Ground crews from the Rural Fire Service and Fire and Rescue NSW have been supported by water bombing aircraft and the Large Air Tankers (LAT).

The strong north-easterly winds and high temperatures are starting to ease making conditions more favourable for firefighters to gain the upper hand this evening.

Police are investigating a suspected cause of the fire.

Ocean Drive will remained closed until it is deemed safe for motorists.

Monday, 4pm: A Hercules Large Air Tanker (LAT) from the RAAF base at Richmond has arrived with a bird dog support aircraft to make fire retardant drops on the fire at Elkhorn Trail at Lighthouse Beach.

The bird dog swoops the fire zone to assess the drop time before the Hercules makes a fly over and offloads the gel retardant.

The LAT is one of four aircraft used by the RFS across the state for direct attacks on both bush and grass fires, creating containment lines, and providing protection in urban areas.

The aircraft can carry more than 15,000 litres of fire retardant to drop strategically over fire grounds as the frontline response continues.

The LAT and two fixed wing scanning aircraft were purchased by the RFS after it secured $26.3 million in NSW Government funding this month.

The new aircraft will be permanently based in NSW instead of being leased from overseas.

Rural Fire Service district officer Stuart Robb said conditions are not expected to change into this evening with winds to remain steady at 25-30kmh.

The fire, which started this morning (December 31) has burned 92 hectares from its ignition point south of Port Macquarie Golf Course along a stretch of coastal heath on Ocean Drive.

It is currently burning about five kilometres away from Lake Cathie but Mr Robb said there will be no threat to homes apart from heavy smoke in the region.

Elkhorn Grove residents have remained alert throughout the day, somewhat thankful the winds have pushed the fire southwards and directly away from their homes just one kilometre from the ignition point.

Fire crews will work throughout the evening to manage containment lines while the LAT is expected to slow the burn rate significantly.

Ocean Drive remains closed.

The southern end of Lighthouse Beach remains closed.

Police are investigating a suspected cause of the fire.

Monday, 2pm: Police have evacuated the southern end of Lighthouse Beach as a large bushfire continues to rip through scrubland along Ocean Drive.

Swimmers at the southern end of the beach were advised to move toward the surf club end to avoid thick smoke and embers from the blaze.

Access to the beach is now closed.

Police are investigating a suspected cause of the fire which started in bushland on the eastern side of Ocean Drive this morning (December 31).

Residents living near the golf course and at the southern end of Ocean Drive at Lake Cathie are advised to monitor the Rural Fire Service’s Fires Near Me App on a mobile phone or at www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/fire-information/fires-near-me for regular updates. RFS Mid Coast is also posting updates on Facebook.

Rural Fire Service Mid Coast district officer Stuart Robb said the fire has now burned almost 60 hectares of coastal heath on the southern side of Port Macquarie golf course.

Constant north-easterly winds are making the job difficult for fire crews, fanning the flames and sending the blaze rapidly to the south-west.

The Fire Boss aircraft has been commissioned to waterbomb the area every eight minutes, refilling in the Hastings River.

“We’ve got nine Fire and Rescue appliances and eight from the RFS with about 70 firefighters on the ground at the moment,” Mr Robb said.

“It is being driven by strong north to north-easterly winds which are expected to strengthen into the evening with higher temperatures. We won’t have it under control in the next couple of hours but it is being managed.

“The fire has been arrested in terms of its original direction.”

Monday, 1pm: A Fire and Rescue NSW spokesperson has urged all residents living in the vicinity of Elkhorn Trail south of Port Macquarie on Ocean Drive to monitor the Fires Near Me App on mobile phone or at www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/fire-information/fires-near-me as a blaze continues to burn rapidly in scrub land at Lighthouse Beach.

If required to take action, residents will be notified by firefighting personnel.

The fire erupted early this morning (December 31) with strong winds and dry conditions quickly fuelling the blaze.

At 1pm, more than 56 hectares was burning. The Rural Fire Service alert level was Advice only.

Fire and Rescue NSW currently has 11 units on site to support Rural Fire Service crews.

The fire is burning rapidly to the south as north to north-easterly winds up to 35kmh fan the flames.

A seaplane has been commissioned to waterbomb the fire burning in coastal scrub fronting Lighthouse Beach.

NSW Police have closed Ocean Drive in both directions. Motorists are advised to use Houston Mitchell Drive to access Lake Cathie and Bonny Hills or via the Pacific Highway if heading to Laurieton.

Monday, 11am: Strong winds and extremely dry conditions have combined to fuel a large blaze south of Port Macquarie.

It comes after a weekend where several fires burned across the district in unfavourable conditions.

Rural Fire Service and Fire and Rescue NSW crews were called to the fire at Elkhorn Trail at Lighthouse Beach early on Monday morning (December 31).

Several crews and a seaplane were tasked to the incident off a beach trail on Ocean Drive south of Port Macquarie golf course. At midday, the fire had spread to more than 50 hectares of bushland and was declared out of control.

Smoke can be seen billowing from Tacking Point lighthouse and as far south as Bonny Hills as crews battle to keep the 50 hectare blaze under control as north-easterly winds strengthen. The fire is burning rapidly to the south.

Traffic travelling along Ocean Drive has been periodically affected in both directions with police closing access to motorists at midday.

Meanwhile, a 29 hectare fire is being controlled off Algona Road, Middle Brother south of Port Macquarie. The fire erupted over the weekend, affecting Pacific Highway traffic in both directions.

Motorists are being advised that smoke in the area may affect visibility.

Strong wind warnings remain in place for the Mid North Coast with north to north-easterly winds of 25-35kmh and temperatures of 30 to 31 degrees predicted for the remainder of the week.

A third blaze, on Maria River Road, Limeburners Creek is now considered under control.

That fire covered “about a football field of mature tea tree”, according to one member of the rural fire service at the scene.

Rural Fire Service volunteers remain vigilant with concerns it could reignite given the prevailing weather conditions.

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