Six homes have been lost as two fires continue to burn at emergency level in northern NSW with windy conditions continuing to hamper firefighters' attempts to control blazes.

Key points: Strong winds of up to 100 kilometres per hour had fuelled multiple fires across NSW

Strong winds of up to 100 kilometres per hour had fuelled multiple fires across NSW All fires in NSW were downgraded to watch and act or advice

All fires in NSW were downgraded to watch and act or advice The RFS said it was an unprecedented early start to the bushfire season

As of 11:00pm Saturday, the New South Wales Rural Fire Service (RFS) said there were 65 fires burning across the state, but no emergency warnings are in place.

A fire at Bees Nest near Armidale and one in Drake, east of Tenterfield, were downgraded to watch and act on Saturday night, while fires in Legume and Mount Mackenzie Road in Tenterfield, as well as Cobargo in the Bega Valley and South Maroota in the Hills Shire were downgraded to advice.

The RFS said an initial assessment of fire-affected areas had found five homes, 20 outbuildings, two car yards and a pistol club damaged in the Tenterfield area. In Lidsdale, one home and three outbuildings were damaged.

The fire on the south coast at Cobargo in the Bega Valley, which had been rated at an emergency level, has now been downgraded.

Crews from Glen Innes helped with fires in the state's north. ( Facebook: Fire and Rescue Glen Innes )

The RFS said strong winds had fuelled the fast-moving fire, which was moving east, but conditions are easing.

Firefighters are working to slow the spread of the fire, which has burnt about 100 hectares.

The area around Charcoal Road in South Maroota had also been newly rated as a watch and act area, with an out-of-control fire burning towards Wisemans Ferry Road.

The RFS advice is currently for people to monitor conditions.

The NSW Government has identified seven disaster areas across the state and together with the Federal Government has announced disaster assistance for communities in Armidale, Clarence Valley, Glen Innes, Inverell, Tenterfield, Uralla and Walcha.

The Minister for Natural Disaster and Emergency Management David Littleproud said a range of support options were available for those affected.

"These are severe fires. They've been fuelled by strong winds and have burnt through thousands of hectares of land threatening life and communities," he said.

"The speed at which these fires moved shows the need for communities to stay vigilant and to have a plan, especially as we try to bring them under control."

The Insurance Council of Australia has declared the bushfires a catastrophe and will give priority to claims from affected policyholders.

It said it was planning to organise community meetings to give property owners information about the claims process.

RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said the fires were a strong indicator of a perilous bushfire season ahead.

"Because of the dry conditions, these fires are starting and progressing quickly and there are extremely windy conditions that we have seen the last 24 hours, and are expected to see further," he said.

"It is a sobering reminder of what is ahead, with the outlook indicating the next three or four months is dominated by above-average temperatures, below average rainfall and unfortunately there is no meaningful signal anywhere for drought-breaking, relieving rain."

Fire crews have only had a dwindling water supply to fight fires in Tenterfield. ( Facebook: Fire and Rescue Glen Innes )

In the north, the ABC understands at least two homes have been destroyed in the small town of Drake and police have confirmed four homes and a shooting range were lost in Tenterfield.

Firefighters were tested by weather conditions due to strong wind gusts on Saturday.

'I've lost everything'

Drake resident Rod Simpson lost his home on Friday night.

Rod Simpson lost his home in the fires at Drake. ( ABC News )

He told ABC News that he had been monitoring the situation and the fires initially hadn't seemed a problem until the wind picked up late on Friday night.

"Around 10:00pm, like a click of the fingers, the wind swung, changed," he said.

"It went from still to blowing an absolute gale. Twenty seconds later, embers are raining down everywhere. Night became day with a big orange tinge.

"The wind was blowing like you wouldn't believe."

He said he grabbed his two dogs and fled in his truck.

Mr Simpson said his home and workshed had been destroyed, as well as animals he was looking after as a wildlife rescue carer.

"I've lost my home, my business, my horses, my wildlife I was looking after. I've lost everything," he said.

The community of Drake, east of Tenterfield, remains under emergency alert after the blaze escalated significantly on Saturday morning.

It was covering more than 13,870 hectares and residents were warned it is too late to leave.

The fire burning north of Ebor at Bees Nest in the Armidale area was also out of control and was pushed towards the small villages of Tyringham, Merengo, Hernani, Meldrum, Dundarrabin and Bostobrick.

The dry land around Tenterfield is only exacerbating the fire. ( ABC North Coast )

The fire has spread across more than 52,500 hectares and was moving quickly and threatening homes.

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"We are starting to see homes come under threat … stay indoors to protect yourself from the heat of fire," Mr Shepherd said.

"We do not have enough firetrucks to attend to every home."

Residents were urged not to make any attempts to leave as falling trees were blocking some roads.

But those in central Tenterfield were offered some reprieve with the Mount Mackenzie Road fire downgraded to a watch and act as the blaze runs out of fuel.

Firefighter's injury 'a sobering reminder'

A 66-year-old volunteer firefighter, Neville Smith, sustained serious burns to his hands, arms, back, face and airways while in a fire truck south of Tenterfield on Friday.

He was airlifted to Royal Brisbane Hospital, where he is being treated in intensive care in a critical but stable condition.

"Sadly, this injury serves as a sobering reminder about how dangerous the conditions are, and the risks that our firefighters take to protect their communities," the RFS said.

Mr Smith had been a RFS volunteer for nearly 20 years.

"Our focus right now is on the security of his home and the welfare of his animals," Commissioner Fitzsimmons said.

"He is in the hands of the best medical care that we can afford and we will be right there with him and his family."

Tenterfield resident Jason Chisholm left his own property to help his neighbours when the fire jumped the highway and came within metres of their homes on Friday.

Jason Chisholm stayed to defend his property in Tenterfield. ( ABC News: Bruce Mackenzie )

"I didn't sort of really have a choice, they were under more of an imminent threat than what my own property was," he said.

"So we just kept checking on everybody and going house to house."

The blaze near Legume, north of Tenterfield, was downgraded to a watch and act on Saturday morning, with very few properties in the line of fire.

North of the border, emergency warnings remained current for out-of-control bushfires on the Gold Coast hinterland and in the Granite Belt as more than 50 fires burned across Queensland.