Water-bomber sent to rural NSW bushfire

A water-bombing plane has been dispatched to help fight a 100-hectare blaze heading towards the Golden Highway in the NSW Hunter region.

Eight fire trucks and crews are battling to control the blaze, which is tearing through crop and grazing land on a private property in Merriwa.

The fire is not posing a threat to lives or homes, and is believed to have been sparked when a private burn jumped containment lines.