Mr Hart and his family have made the decision to stay and defend their property at Bombay, west of Braidwood.

"I have never seen anything like this," Mr Hart said. "I've lived here 50 years and I have never seen it like this."

In the short time The Canberra Times was at his property, the fire jumped rapidly and came closer, but he's confident it will be OK due to the open country.

Stevie Ryan was at the entrance to Bombay Road on Friday afternoon. She had to cut the fence to get out of her uncle's property, who was staying to defend the fire.

"Here it is breezy where we are standing now, up there it is blowing a gale," she said.

Ms Ryan, of Harold's Crossing, was at her uncle's property when a police helicopter flew past taking a head count. Firefighters told her to leave.

"The firies just started yelling out 'leave, leave, leave' because spot fires were happening in the paddock in front of where we were," she said.

Amber Campbell-Davys made the call to leave her property near Braidwood Road as the fire closed in.

Ms Campbell-Davys, who manages the Braidwood IGA, had watered down her house before she left. It was unclear if her property had been saved, but she said some animals had been lost.

The fire has burnt more than 10,000 hectares since it was ignited by lightning on Tuesday. It is at emergency warning level and people in the areas of Bombay, Little Bombay and Braidwood have been told it's too late to leave and advised to take shelter.

Carl Doyles defended his property as two fire fronts crept towards it.

"I think this one is going to get us," he said as he pointed to one of the fronts that was making its way to the property, "I reckon it's nearly here."

Mr Doyles has lived at the property for 17 years, when asked on the decision to stay, he said, "I have to, I have to save my property".

"I built it myself, from scratch," he said.

Braidwood district resident Robin Tennant-Wood said she wouldn't be hanging around if the fire came closer.

Ms Tennant-Wood lives on a Krawaree property, 40km south of Braidwood. Like many, she has a bushfire plan and has hoses and pumps hooked up if needed.

"I'm in no immediate danger just now but if it crosses the Kings Highway, I'll be stuck," she said.

"...If the fire threatens I'll go because I don't have the infrastructure and skills to stay and defend. I'll be packing up the essentials and my animals and going."

The view from her home was thick with smoke.

Ms Tennant-Wood said while bare paddocks mostly lay between Bombay and Braidwood, this was no guarantee the fire's strength would abate.

"The firefighters are doing an amazing job. We've had a number of crews on deployment up north and now they've come back to this," she said.

"We're all just hoping for a change of wind."

- With Louise Thrower