Distressed Tathra residents are being promised they will be allowed back to check on their homes in the fire-ravaged NSW coastal town as soon it's safe.
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Nearly 70 homes and 30 caravans or cabins were destroyed when the blaze swept through the area east of Bega on Sunday.
Authorities have cut off access to the township with roads damaged, no power or water supplies and fears of asbestos in the air.
Many locals who were evacuated to Bega don't know whether their homes are still standing. They've tried to tell from news footage or by asking neighbours who left after them.
Rural Fire Service commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons acknowledges the situation is stressful but insists authorities are working to make the area safe as quickly as possible.
Power and other utilities, including sewage and water supplies, needed to be restored and communications brought back online.
They are also mindful of the amount of potential asbestos floating around from burnt buildings and other structures.
"We are not trying to be insensitive or disrespectful to those who are already suffering so much, but their safety is at the forefront - and the safety of other people involved," Mr Fitzsimmons said in Bega on Monday.
"As soon as we can make it safe, we will get more people in."
Compounding the problem is the main road between Bega and Tathra is part of the control line being used by firefighters to contain the blaze.
Deputy NSW Police Commissioner Catherine Burn, whose officers are stationed at roadblocks, understood people's frustrations at being denied access.
"But the police are there giving those directions for a reason," she told reporters.
Australian Associated Press
