With a total fire ban declared across most of the state, fire crews are working tirelessly to put out dozens of blazes.

In Sydney’s west, the mercury hit 38°, with hot winds expected to flare up in the next hour making conditions even more dangerous.

Ben Fordham speaks to Rob Rogers, Deputy Commissioner of NSW Rural Fire Service, for an update.

Deputy Commissioner Rogers tells Ben a fire in the Hunter Valley area has spanned more than 2,000 hectares.

“We have been working on that fire for some days now. It is burning quite aggressively.”

A second fire near Orange has also been burning for some time now.

“There’s a lot of work being done on that fire.

“So far so good, but we’re not out of the woods.”

Listen to the full update below