Firefighters are battling an out-of-control blaze at Aberdare in hot and windy conditions on Sunday afternoon

The blaze, which appears to be burning in bushland south of Cessnock Street, sparked about 1pm. 

“Firefighters on scene of a grass fire on the southern side of Aberdare. The fire is being fanned by strong and gusty north-westerly winds,” the NSW Rural Fire Service wrote in a tweet on Sunday. 

The NSW RFS later tweeted that “firefighters are gaining the upper hand on the fire at Aberdare.”

The service said crews from the RFS and Fire and Rescue NSW were on scene and there was no immediate threat to homes. 

The blaze is the first to ignite in the Hunter on Sunday in oppressive conditions and comes after the NSW Rural Fire Service declared the region part of a total fire ban due to forecast hot and windy conditions. 

The fire is currently listed as “being controlled” by the RFS and is at the “advice” level. 

The Bureau of Meteorology had predicted a top of 37 degrees at Cessnock, which, combined with strong winds made for the possibility of “severe” fire conditions. 

“Strong, dry and very warm west to northwesterly winds ahead of a cold front will generate elevated fire danger over the northeast and parts of the northern inland today,” the BOM says on its website. 

The NSW Rural Fire Service advises you to:

The Rural Fire Service advises that if you are in an area of Severe Fire Danger:

For information on preparing for bushfires go to www.rfs.nsw.gov.au.