NSW fires: almost 600 school closures on Tuesday amid catastrophic bushfire conditions

'For heaven's sake stay away from bushland,' Gladys Berejiklian warns as conditions to worsen on Tuesday

Across New South Wales more than 575 schools will shut their doors on Tuesday, while aged care homes remain on high alert and animal shelters scramble to re-home pets as much of the state prepares for catastrophic fire conditions.

The NSW premier, Gladys Berejiklian, declared a week-long state of emergency on Monday in the wake of devastating fires on the state's mid-north coast in which three people died and at least 150 homes were destroyed.