Northern Tablelands Superintendent Chris Wallbridge said crews were called out to about 24 fires around the region on the last weekend in July alone.

And NSW Rural Fire Service Northern Tablelands Group Captain Ray White predicts conditions are set to worsen later this month when seasonal winds kick in.

“Even though we’ve had quite a big season of rain, the grass has already cured off to about 80 to 90 percent,” Captain White said.

Each year, the NSW RFS declares the New England-Northern Tablelands region’s bush fire season a month earlier than the state’s coastal areas where higher rainfall and lighter frosts combine to delay more hazardous fire conditions.

But on this side of the Great Dividing Range, drying frosts have combined with 2017’s recent rains, to produce more grass and a greater “fuel load”. 

Captain White said the tall, dried-out grasses spreading across fields and weaving between trees and scrub lands, made up the “fine surface fuels” that usually trigger bush fires. 

The start of bush fire season means permits are now needed by everyone who wants to light an open fire, unless it’s just a basic cooking fire. 

Permits are free but represent an agreement by the holder to abide by safety practices that help ensure the fire remains controlled. 

Permits also require people to give advance notice of the fire to their neighbours and the local fire control centre so they know who to call if they receive any fire reports.