All fire permits have been suspended after the NSW RFS - Northern Rivers Zone assessed today’s fire danger to be “very high”.

Rural Fire Service Superintendent Boyd Townsend told the Lismore App it wasn’t the first very high fire danger day this year but it was the first since the declaration of the Bushfire Danger Period and the fire danger rating index was the highest so far.

“There were a couple of very high fire danger days in that period when the Clearfield Rd, Rappville, fire started the weekend before last,” Supt Townsend said.

“But it is the first with the Bushfire Danger Period and fire permit requirements now in place.

“During the Bushfire Danger Period everyone requires a fire permit and on days of Very High Fire Danger those permits are suspended and any fires lit under those permits have to be extinguished.”

Supt Townsend said the warm, windy and dry conditions contributed to the high fire danger.

“It's the warmest day of the year so far - with temperatures up in the high 20s - heading towards summer,” he said.

“The winds are expected to be around about 50kh/h to 60km/h in some locations around lunchtime but hopefully abating later in the afternoon

“Also the humidity is forecast to be around 10 per cent, which is very, very low.

Very High Fire Danger days in August were “not unheard of”, he said.

“We are coming into that windy time of year that we normally do expect and September is normally a windy time.

“Really what we're seeing is not that unusual but if you combine that with the general lack of rainfall at the moment [it increases the fire danger].

“The drought indicators are rising quickly for the Far North Coast and we've actually had less rainfall from January to now than we had in the same period last year.

“Conditions were drier last year, which sounds a little bit silly, but what rain we have had occurred a little bit later in winter, whereas during winter last year the rain was earlier in the year.

“Overall, conditions are slightly better than last year but it's only marginal.

“It's not taking much for a fire to ignite and escape very quickly.”

Supt Townsend said it was hard to pin the blame for the current fire danger on climate change.

“Climate is the ongoing debate for the bigger picture. It’s over a broader time type issue while we're really dealing with the weather week to week,” he said.

“We're going through an extended drought at the moment but it's not the first drought that's ever been had, that's for sure

“It's hard to say what those factors are.

“Hopefully, we'll turn around in a few weeks time and it'll be raining and raining and we'll be out helping the SES.

“It's one of those things.”

Tomorrow’s Fire Danger Rating will be published on the NSW RFS website this afternoon at: https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/fire-information/fdr-and-tobans