A veteran firefighter has died while battling a bushfire threatening homes, as authorities warn the risk of dangerous fires is likely to linger for months.

The 59-year-old NSW National Parks firefighter was hit by a falling tree about 10.45pm on Sunday, while trying to contain a fierce fire near Bulahdelah on the mid-north coast.

It is believed he suffered a cardiac arrest.

Paramedics tried to help the man but he died at the scene. His family has been notified.

“This particular person has paid the ultimate sacrifice in trying to protect the community,” NSW Emergency Services Minister Jihad Dib told reporters.

“The best thing that we can do to honour these memories … is to make sure we take every action we can to prevent them being in this situation.”

The man, who has not yet been named, was a divisional commander in the National Parks and Wildlife Service, having joined the organisation in 1996.

Naomi Stephens, from the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, expressed the organisation’s condolences and “deep sadness” to the man’s family.

“I also want to mention his colleagues … across the whole of National Parks and Wildlife Service and how much our organisation is working to support those people today at such a difficult time,” Stephens said.

“The work that our parks firefighters do is inherently dangerous and we work incredibly hard to ensure firefighters are safe. It’s a huge loss and sadness to us to have had this happen to one of our firefighters.”

NSW Premier Chris Minns said it was a “very sad day” for the firefighting community.

“This is in many ways a dangerous profession and we’re deeply indebted to the men and women that devote their time to keeping us safe,” he told Channel Nine’s Today program on Monday.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also offered his condolences to the family and colleagues of the firefighter.

“This terrible news is a sombre reminder of the dangers that our emergency services personnel face to keep our homes and communities safe,” he said.

The NSW Rural Fire Service confirmed 20 homes had been destroyed between the Bulahdelah fire and another fire at Koolewong on the NSW central coast.

While there are no current emergency bushfire or heatwave warnings, storms and damaging winds are expected to keep fire danger high across much of Australia.

More than 50 fires were burning across NSW as of about midday on Monday, with nine uncontained.

Communities should be prepared for a long and dangerous fire season with forecasts suggesting threatening conditions will be a constant throughout summer.

“If you’re asked to go and leave your home, I can promise you firefighters and police are doing that because … they’re trying to save your life,” Minns said.

There was a real risk of bushfire complacency among the community after several seasons of reduced activity, Rural Fire Service commissioner Trent Curtin said.

“We know that after a few years of elevated rain and wet conditions, people aren’t thinking about bushfires sufficiently,” he said.

“Embers can travel long distances – as we saw in Koolewong this week – where an ember moved a kilometre from one peninsula to another.”

Federal and state disaster assistance funding has been activated across the NSW central and mid-north coasts, Upper Hunter, Muswellbrook, Warrumbungle and Dubbo.

At its peak, more than 250 firefighters, 50 trucks and nine aircraft battled the Koolewong blaze, where 16 homes were destroyed in an hour.

“We’ve got members of our community that run towards [bushfires] to protect not only property but livestock and livelihoods,” Emergency Management minister Kristy McBain told ABC radio on Monday.

“They deserve our utmost thanks, but what they really want is more people to join them.”

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley also paid tribute to firefighters as she offered her condolences on X.

Meanwhile in Tasmania, authorities confirmed a 700-hectare blaze at Dolphin Sands, near Freycinet National Park on the state’s east coast, was contained after overnight rain.

Nineteen homes were destroyed and 14 others sustained some damage in the fire sparked in the seaside community on Thursday.

More than 120 smaller structures and electricity transmissions were also damaged.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe weather warning for the east of the island. Damaging wind gusts of about 100 km/h were expected from late Sunday night into Monday morning.

About 30 firefighters remain on the fireground continuing to work on extinguishing hot spots.

-with AAP