NSW RFS confirms fire permits suspended across Namoi Gwydir area as warmer weather takes hold

The Rural Fire Service (RFS) said all permits - which are required for any fire during the summer months and bushfire danger period - are now suspended until early in the new year.

The Namoi Gwydir RFS said particular hot spots, like the Moree Plains, Narrabri and Gwydir local government areas are covered by the ban.

"You are not allowed to light fires in the open without a permit during the bushfire danger period," an RFS spokesperson said.

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"Some exemptions apply for cooking fires and deceased animal carcasses."

An RFS spokesperson confirmed that any landholder who holds a current fire permit, "from the mentioned dates you cannot light any fire according to your permit".

The RFS said fines can apply for noncompliance with the ban.

The RFS said despite recent rainfall, it was expecting an above average risk of grass fires across the area this year due to high fuel loads and grassland curing.

"As we are now in the bush fire danger period, a fire permit is required for burning activities in rural fire districts," the spokesperson said.

The suspension started at midnight on Christmas Eve, and will be in force until midnight on January 2.

It comes after firefighters warned of the heightened risk of fires with significant grass growth.

NSW RFS Superintendent Paul McGrath said that two years of wet weather has led to prolific vegetation growth across NSW, with the state "now facing its most significant grass fire threat in more than a decade".

"It can take just a few days of hot, dry and windy weather for grasslands to cure and for fires to take hold, even in areas which have experienced recent heavy rains and flooding," he said.

"Grass fires can start easily and spread rapidly, threatening homes, crops and livelihoods."

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