A total fire ban has been declared for the Southern Ranges, Central Ranges, Southern Slopes, Greater Hunter, Illawarra/Shoalhaven, and Greater Sydney Region regions today, Wednesday January 18, due to forecast hot and windy conditions.
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The total fire ban, which started at midnight, covers the following councils:
- Greater Sydney Region (Very high) - All Sydney Metro Councils, Blue Mountains, Central Coast and Hawkesbury
- Illawarra/Shoalhaven (Severe) - Kiama, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven, Wingecarribee, Wollondilly and Wollongong
- Southern Ranges (Severe) - Queanbeyan-Palerang, Goulburn Mulwaree, Upper Lachlan and Yass Valley
- Central Ranges (Severe) - Bathurst, Blayney, Cabonne, Cowra, Lithgow, Mid Western, Oberon and Orange
- Southern Slopes (Severe) - Cootamundra-Gundagai, Hilltops and Snowy Valleys
- Greater Hunter (Very high) – Cessnock, Dungog, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Muswellbrook, Newcastle, Port Stephens, Singleton, Upper Hunter
The NSW Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) may request that harvesting operations and other machinery use stop in grassland, paddocks and on roadsides.
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 ban rules and a map of current total fire ban areas are at www.rfs.nsw.gov.au.
Kim Chappell
As Senior Producer - Digital for ACM's regional titles I assist newsrooms in digital best practice. Before this role, I was the digital journalist with ACM's national team and prior to that, the digital specialist with ACM's Agricultural division. I started as a general rounds journalist with The Land in 2006, moving up to hold the title of chief of staff before switching to digital reporting in 2015.
As Senior Producer - Digital for ACM's regional titles I assist newsrooms in digital best practice. Before this role, I was the digital journalist with ACM's national team and prior to that, the digital specialist with ACM's Agricultural division. I started as a general rounds journalist with The Land in 2006, moving up to hold the title of chief of staff before switching to digital reporting in 2015.
