GRASS and bushfires across New England have flared as the district faces extreme weather conditions.
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At Wallangra Road, Inverell a blaze has just been brought under control after destroying 4104 hectares.
Rural firefighters are battling an out-of-control fire in Rocky River Road, at Rocky River, in the Tenterfield district that has destroyed 12 hectares of bush.
The fire was moved to "watch and act" status on Monday afternoon, before being downgraded to "advice" by 4pm.
They have also contained a grass fire beside the Bruxner Highway in Tenterfield.
A small grass fire on Puddledock Road, Armidale has also been extinguished.
The fire danger rating for the Northern Slopes, New England and North Western districts is "extreme", according to the RFS, leading to a total fire ban declared across the region.
Meanwhile, south westerly winds of up to 45 km/h are gusting across the region, from Armidale through to Moree.
In other news
New England has received little to no rain in the lead-up to the bushfire season, with a hotter, drier summer predicted by the Bureau of Meteorology.
Over the weekend, Fire and Rescue NSW crews carried out a series of hazard reduction burns before Monday's extreme fire conditions.
A 13-hectare, low-intensity burn was conducted at Guyra to reduce the fuel loads across the eastern side of town. The burn was aimed at safeguarding homes near the bush, while also protecting a popular walking track used by about 6000 people a day.
The service has now paused its hazard reduction program in light of the total fire ban.
Residents are also being urged to put in place their own preparations around their own homes in case of fire.
Know your fire risk and what you will do if fire threatens. Be ready to act. Report all unattended fires to Triple Zero (000).
For more information on Total Fire Ban rules, visit the RFS website.
