Evacuation centres have been set up at Narrabri and Gunnedah.Jake Byrne, a volunteer fire fighter in Baan Ba, said the blaze had been concentrated in the bushland near the village located 30km north-west of Boggabri on the Kamilaroi highway, and there hadn't been any threats to houses on the outskirts of town yet. They saw a mushroom cloud and then flames forming on the horizon, but then the wind turned and blew the fire south so they decided to remain in their home. "Every hour my young fella who has just turned 12 is going outside and putting a little flag up to see which way the wind is going," Cunningham said. "There's supposed to be rain coming so hopefully we get a sprinkle. "Luckily, I don't think we've had any homes lost yet - although we just don't know," he said.Council staff and other workers had been doing 24-hour shifts to keep services online as the bushfire caused power outages along many local roads, Tiemens said.