FIRE conditions in some parts of the state - including Gunnedah and the Liverpool Plains - will be one step below catastrophic tomorrow, leading to an extended and expanded total fire ban.
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The forecast continues to be for hot and windy conditions, so the ban will stretch into the Greater Hunter, North Coast and Far North Coast fire areas on Friday.
The NSW Rural Fire Service has notified people in those areas they are forbidden to light fires in the open from midnight tonight.
The total fire ban today in the New England, Northern Slopes and North Western zones will go into day 2.
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All of tomorrow's affected zones are listed as being at a severe risk of bushfire, except the Northern Slopes, which includes Tamworth, Gunnedah, Gwydir, Inverell and the Liverpool Plains.
The conditions in these areas are listed as extreme - one step below the RFS rating of catastrophic.
Under extreme conditions, the RFS urges people whose houses come under attack from a fire to "only consider staying if you are prepared to the highest level".
The RFS says leaving early is always the safest option, however.
Liverpool Range RFS district manager Myles O'Reilly said the penalties were severe for ban-breakers and people needed to "just be responsible".
"If someone starts a fire on a total ban day, they could be facing a custodial sentence of up to seven years," he said.
"It's a very, very serious thing."