Landholders will need to postpone any burning activities planned for today, with a total fire ban now in place for the greater Hunter.
The region’s fire danger warning has also been upgraded to severe.
Today’s warm and windy conditions are now worse than originally forecast, with winds reaching up to 50km/hr in some areas.
The Rural Fire Service is urging locals to keep an eye on the weather, and to make sure their bush fire safety plan is up to date.
We’re also being reminded that lighting fires in open areas is prohibited and fines apply.
For more information, you can head to: https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/fire-information/fdr-and-tobans
Image: By Davidonformosa [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons