Open flames have been banned for the wider Hunter region today, as we expect to see temperatures soar above 30 degrees.
A total fire ban is in place and the fire danger warning has been listed as severe.
Newcastle and Maitland are both looking at tops of 32 degrees today, while strong winds are also forecast.
Anyone who breaks the total fire ban will face an on-the-spot fine of $2200.
For more information, you can check out www.rfs.nsw.gov.au
Image: By Davidonformosa [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons