3.42PM: The Freemans Waterhole fire has been reduced to Advice status. but parts of Palmers Road have closed.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Cessnock Road is shut in both directions between the M1 and Cozzie Lane. Northbound motorists heading to Toronto need to exit at Mandalong Road and take Wangi Road as an alternative route.
Southbound drivers are unable to access Palmers Road from Wakefield Road.
The M1 remains open.
2.50PM: A fire at Freemans Waterhole has been elevated to Watch and Act status, the NSW Rural Fire Service confirms.
The fire, on the eastern side of the M1 at Palmers Road, is classified as out of control.
Watch and Act indicates there is a heightened level of threat. Conditions are changing and you need to start taking action now to protect you and your family.
Traffic on the M1 has been urged to exercise caution as smoke cuts visibility.
Drivers headed in both directions are affected.
12.45PM UPDATE: The Stockrington fire is being controlled, the RFS says. It has burned about 15 hectares.
The Richardson Road fire is also under control.
Earlier: A WATER-BOMBING helicopter is helping crews fight a bushfire at Stockrington on Friday morning.
The blaze has burned about 10 hectares along the Haul Road, the NSW Rural Fire Service said.
Shortly before noon, the Stockrington fire was classified as out of control.
“Currently there is no threat to property and roads in the area remain open,” the RFS said in a statement.
The fire, which is at the Advice level comes as temperatures in the Hunter are expected to soar as high as 37 degrees on Friday.
The Advice warning level indicates there is no immediate danger but warns residents to stay up to date in case the situation changes.
Another fire classified as under control has burned about one hectare at Richardson Road in Raymond Terrace.
Further up the valley, the Soprano fire at Widden has burned about 129 hectares of remote bushland and remains under the jurisdiction of NSW National Parks and Wildlife.
A small bushfire has also been reported on Box Gap Road at Putty, outside Singleton.
In the Cessnock area, where the Stockrington fire is burning, the Bureau of Meteorology forecasts mostly sunny conditions and a high of 36 degrees.
A total fire ban is in place for the region on Friday.
The Bureau of Meteorology is expected to hold a media conference in the afternoon about heatwave conditions across NSW, with a large mass of hot air that built inland shifting towards the coast.
