ACT Emergency Services Commissioner Georgeina Whelan says fires burning in the Snowy Mountains will likely come very close to ACT's southern border.
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It came as Canberrans were warned electricity could be cut off in parts of the network, and thick smoke blanketed the capital to an even greater extent than what Canberrans had become used to over the previous weeks.
![ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr provides an update on the current bushfire situation for the ACT on Friday. Picture: Elesa Kurtz ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr provides an update on the current bushfire situation for the ACT on Friday. Picture: Elesa Kurtz](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/fdcx/doc78om9a2wzfcp8q5eh05.jpg/r0_188_3678_2256_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
As of 11.41pm on Saturday there were no fires burning in the ACT, with two small grassfires - one on Kent Street in Deakin, and the other near the Woden Cemetery - having been extinguished earlier in the evening. The causes will be investigated.
However, spot fires about four kilometres from the southern ACT border have been located near the remote area of the Namadgi National Park. Territory firefighters are also helping NSW crews to battle a blaze at Adaminaby which is burning at an emergency alert level.
Ms Whelan said current modelling showed the Snowy Mountains fires would skirt close to ACT.
"As a consequence of that there is always then the risk of spotting, of dry lightning, of changes in weather patterns," she said.
"So what is the likelihood of them crossing our borders? I couldn't tell you right now, what I can say is we are continuing to monitor and we will continue to monitor and we will report accordingly. "
Ms Whelan said the most likely way fire would enter ACT was from the southern tip.
"The second scenario is to the west of the ACT and the third scenario is the northwest from dry lightning."
She said smoke from the Adaminaby and Dunn's Road fires may become visible from Canberra, but urged people not to become alarmed.
The Emergency Services Agency has warned power supplies may need to be turned off in parts of Canberra to keep the overall network secure.
Residents have been asked to reduce electricity usage, by turning pool pumps off, setting air conditions to 24 or 25 degrees, and not using washing machines, dishwashers or dryers.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr has acknowledged Canberrans' anxiety over bushfires burning in NSW and said it remains important for the city to be prepared for an emergency.
"We have just experienced our hottest ever day. The wind conditions remain very strong, it's obviously a day of extreme fire danger. Canberra people are experiencing this uncomfortable day. There is a lot of anxiety in the community," Mr Barr said.
Canberra sweltered through its hottest day on record, where temperatures reached 44 degrees, while large fires burned along the South Coast and to the territory's west.
A dust storm at Murrumbateman showed up on the Rural Fire Service's fire map, but an officer at the Yass Valley RFS station said it was not a fire.
The Emergency Services Agency continued to monitor the situation in close cooperation with NSW authorities, Mr Barr told a press conference on Saturday.
He said the ACT government was working with retailers and suppliers to make sure P2-rated masks were available in the territory.
Shipments had arrived but Australia Post's delivery suspension meant they could not be immediately distributed.
"So, for the community, your best place to get a mask, should you want one, is through a chemist or a hardware store," Mr Barr said.
Smoky conditions would continue to affect Canberra, with a change about 10pm expected to bring smoke from the east.
"So, for the community, your best place to get a mask, should you want one, is through a chemist or a hardware store," Mr Barr said.
Mr Barr formally wrote to Prime Minister Scott Morrison asking for ACT volunteer firefighters to be eligible for federal compensation.
Train services between Canberra and Sydney were cancelled on Saturday and buses are unable to replace them due to bushfires.
![Passengers board the Canberra to Sydney train at Kingston in 2017. Picture: Rohan Thomson Passengers board the Canberra to Sydney train at Kingston in 2017. Picture: Rohan Thomson](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/fdcx/doc6wf4slk2c5gtrwhi6ti.jpg/r0_393_7360_4531_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Drivers in the ACT have also been reminded to take care as fire trucks pass through the city to respond to fires in southern NSW.
About 2.30pm, NSW Rural Fire Service trucks passed through the ACT with lights and sirens as firefighters travelled to fires burning near the ACT.
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Meanwhile, a 20-year-old Mawson man was charged by police after lighting a fire in Curtin in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Luke Grey Thoroughgood, 20, appeared before the ACT Magistrates Court on Saturday and was sent for a mental health assessment.
A state of alert remains in force for the ACT, with a total fire ban in place until midnight on Monday. No fires were burning in the ACT at 4.15pm.
Canberra's electricity network was operating within capacity, a spokeswoman for Evoenergy said.
Demand reached 550 megawatts at 2.45pm. Last year, system peak demand reached 657 megawatts after sustained heatwave conditions, she said.
Fire danger in the ACT was predicted to reach extreme on Saturday, meaning if a fire started it might be uncontrollable, unpredictable and fast moving.
The Emergency Services Agency has urged residents in Canberra's bushfire-prone areas to review their survival plans.