A SIGNIFICANT part of Sydney's northwest is under threat from bushfires that have claimed two houses and injured several fire fighters.
A house was destroyed at Winmalee, in the Blue Mountains and two firefighters battling the blaze there suffered minor burns, the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) says.
Another home has been lost at Marsden Park, in Sydney's west, and a shed has been destroyed near Castlereagh, where a fire raged through about 60 hectares of dry bush.
About 300 students from St Paul's Grammar School at Castlereagh were evacuated to Penrith's Whitewater park after an emergency warning was issued for nearby properties.
More than 2000 people were evacuated from a University of Western Sydney (UWS) campus after a power outage and the RAAF base at Richmond lost power due to a problem with an Endeavour Energy substation.
About 1000 firefighters with 350 trucks and 14 aircraft are fighting 63 bush and grass fires across the state, 31 of which are uncontained, NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell told parliament on Tuesday afternoon.
Five firefighters have been treated for smoke inhalation, he added.
Emergency services minister Mike Gallacher said "a significant part of northwestern Sydney" where there are "large numbers of homes" was threatened by the fires.
"These are all heavily urbanised areas," he told AAP.
Earlier on Tuesday smoke billowed over Windsor Downs Nature Reserve as water bombing helicopters and crews battled grass fires.
Residents Michael and Sandra Bellamy left work to return home and protect their house when they realised the fire was in the reserve bordering their property.
"I got a text message from my daughter saying that I should probably go home," Ms Bellamy told AAP.
However, police road closures prevented her from reaching the family home, where they have lived for 19 years.
Mr Bellamy is confident firefighters will be able to contain the bushfires.
An RFS spokesman told AAP "it's certainly been a monster effort".
Emergency warnings remain in place for three large uncontained fires in Sydney's northwest.
The warm winds, gusting at up to 80km/h and fanning the fire are likely to ease on Tuesday evening, a Bureau of Meteorology spokesman told AAP.
And firefighters are hoping the southerly change lowers temperatures.
Crews will work thorough the night and probably the next few days to try and contain the fires, the RFS spokesman said.
"But that's still dependent on the weather and how strong the southerly change that comes through (is)," he told AAP.
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