A total fire ban has been declared for five areas tomorrow, Saturday, due to forecast hot and windy conditions.
The ban, which starts at midnight tonight, covers the Greater Sydney Region where the declared fire danger rating is "very high" – the highest of the five areas.
Councils affected in the Greater Sydney Region include: Auburn, The Hills, Blacktown, Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury, Holroyd, Hornsby, Parramatta and Penrith.
The statutory bush fire danger period began on October 1 but more than a third of the state had commenced its danger period ahead of schedule due to prevailing dry conditions.
For this reason air-crane water bombing helicopter Ichabod was put through its operational readiness checks a month early, too, Police and Emergency Services Minister Stuart Ayres said on October 11.
GALLERY: Click here to read more about Ichabod, and to see photos.
The other four areas in which a total fire ban has been declared are:
■ North Coast (severe) – Bellingen, Coffs Harbour, Gloucester, Great Lakes, Greater Taree, Kempsey, Nambucca, Port Macquarie and Hastings;
■ Greater Hunter (severe) – Cessnock, Dungog, Lake Macquarie, Newcastle, Port Stephens, Singleton and Upper Hunter;
■ North Western (severe) – Moree Plains, Narrabri, Walgett and Warrumbungle; and
■ Upper Central West Plains (severe) – Bogan, Coonamble, Gilgandra and Warren.
The NSW Rural Fire Service provides the following advice under severe and very high fire conditions:
■ Well-prepared homes that are actively defended can provide safety during a fire;
■ Follow your Bush Fire Survival Plan and remain vigilant;
■ Keep informed by listening to local radio, watching television news broadcasts; and
■ monitoring http://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au.
No fires may be lit in the open and all fire permits are suspended during a total fire ban.
Gas and electric barbeques may be used provided certain conditions are met.
TOTAL FIRE BANS: Total fire ban rules of current total fire ban areas are at http://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au.