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Canberrans have been advised to not travel to the south of the ACT into rural areas because of the risk of fire. ACT Emergency Services Agency commissioner Georgeina Whelan said on Friday afternoon that rural land owners in the south of the ACT could come under threat from fires burning in NSW under certain weather conditions. She said ACT fire crews and heavy plant machinery were being mobilised and staged at points in the ACT to meet any fire that could potentially cross the ACT border. Fears the Adaminaby fire could enter the ACT on Friday night did not eventuate. As of 7.30am Saturday, there were no fires burning in the territory. Ms Whelan said there was no immediate threat to homes in the ACT, but noted the fires and the weather had been unpredictable. Crews were being placed at the southern border to meet the Adaminaby fire in case it made a move north towards the territory, she said. "We're not expecting a strong, lengthy southerly [wind], so we can go to the fire instead of waiting on the fire coming to us," Ms Whelan said. READ MORE: A community meeting was scheduled for Saturday morning in Tharwa and land owners in the south of the territory had been called by ESA members to discuss potential threats. Ms Whelan also gave details of fires burning to the territory's west and south west and what was being done to prevent them encroaching on the ACT. The Adaminaby Complex fire was burning eight kilometres south-west of the ACT border and 45 kilometres from the urban areas of Canberra. It was at watch and act level. There were 78 firefighters and 22 appliances at the fire and crews were fighting a small spot fire, which was burning three kilometres from the ACT border. A strike team and five appliances from the ACT were deployed to fight the Adaminaby fire. The Dunns Road Fire, which was upgraded to an emergency alert level on Friday night, was 50 kilometres from residential homes in the ACT. The fire was downgraded to advice level on Saturday morning. There were 620 firefighters and 120 appliances on the scene and 50 heavy plant machinery creating containment lines. Most of the fire activity was occurring in the north and north-west. Ms Whelan said it was impacting on private pine plantations. The Hume Highway was closed for some time on Friday night but was open on Saturday morning. READ MORE: The Atkinsons Fire was burning at advice level to the west of the ACT and had increased 100 per cent in size since Thursday afternoon. There had been fire activity on all edges but there were no crews there for safety concerns. It had been waterbombed and was being monitored by the Firebird 100 helicopter. The Mt Morgans fire, also at advice level, had remained at four hectares in size and there was no active fire at 2pm on Thursday. There were four large tankers operating out of Canberra Airport and multiple aircraft were being used for waterbombing, reconnaissance and dropping retardant when conditions allowed. Across the weekend and into next week conditions were expected to improve and the ACT would work with consolidating control lines. However, firefighter efforts on Saturday would depend on what fire activity occurred on Friday night during difficult conditions. The Adaminaby fire could skirt through the southern ACT border on Friday night and keep going back into NSW, Ms Whelan said. If the Dunns Road fire "takes a big run", Ms Whelan said, it could also enter the ACT. Considering the conditions overnight, Ms Whelan urged Canberrans not to travel to the southern areas of the territory on Saturday and stay in urban areas such as shopping centres or at home instead. A south-easterly wind change expected about 11pm could bring a significant amount of smoke to the ACT.

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