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Palm tree in Sydney CBD goes up in flames

Footage has emerged of a palm tree engulfed in flames in the heart of Sydney’s CBD on Wednesday.

Firefighters were called to Macquarie Street, near the Cahill Expressway, at 11.50am after passers-by spotted the blaze.

A video taken by a pedestrian captured the fire on camera and posted it to social media.

“How good’s someone setting a tree on fire on Macquarie Street,” the person wrote.

A NSW Fire and Rescue spokesperson told Yahoo Australia firefighters with the Melbourne Fire Brigade extinguished the blaze.

Pedestrians are seen walking pas the palm tree as it burns. Source: Snapchat
Firefighters were called to Macquarie Street, near the Cahill Expressway, at 11.50pm after passer-bys spotted the blaze. Source: Snapchat

The spokesperson could not confirm if the fire was deliberately lit.

Bushfires have ravaged NSW’s north over the last few days, killing three people and destroying hundreds of thousands of hectares.

NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons told reporters on Wednesday morning 83 fires are still burning in the state and 50 of them are “un-contained”.

Authorities have warned the “danger isn’t over” as Queensland also battles bushfires.

The Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) was on Wednesday tacking fires from Townsville in the north, south to the NSW border with areas including Noosa’s North Shore and Beenleigh, north of the Gold Coast, being evacuated.

Pictured are firefighters battling a blaze near the Pacific Highway, north of Nabiac in the Mid North Coast region of NSW. Source: AAP
NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons told reporters on Wednesday morning 83 fires are still burning in the state and 50 of them are “un-contained”. Source: AAP

Firefighters slam odd and reckless behaviour during NSW bushfires

Authorities have criticised members of the public for bizarre behaviour during the NSW bushfires saying they “must have arrived from Mars”.

A small minority of residents have been ignoring advice, flying drones, and even lighting fires as emergency services slam the “sheer stupidity” of the acts.

NSW Emergency Services Minister David Elliott says people "must have arrived from Mars in a bubble" to not know about total fire bans in the state after four alleged breaches of the ban amid "catastrophic" danger.

A bushfire in Hillville moves in on a house near the Pacific Highway, north of Nabiac in the Mid North Coast region of NSW, on Tuesday. Source: AAP
Authorities have criticised members of the public for bizarre behaviour during the NSW bushfires saying they “must have arrived from Mars”. Source: AAP

Three men allegedly breached NSW's total fire ban this week while a nine-year-old boy has allegedly admitted to lighting a fire with a blowtorch.

Meanwhile a member of the public was chided for flying a drone near dangerous fire areas in northern Sydney, after it was spotted hovering near smoke in the city’s North Shore.

Flying a drone in or anywhere near bushfires could cost you up to $10,500, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority warned the public yesterday.

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