NSW Bushfires: Everything you need to know about 'catastrophic' blazes

Scores of emergency warnings have been issued across NSW in the last hour, as the bushfire crisis gripping the state ramps up.

Ten fires are now burning at an emergency level, and three homes have been destroyed with conditions expected to worsen due to strong winds that are expected to make fire behavior unpredictable.

Here is what we know so far.

Most affected locations

With catastrophic fire danger forecasted for the greater Sydney, greater Hunter and the Illawarra/Shoalhaven area – approximately six million residents of NSW have been told to brace for the worst.

More than 600 schools and TAFEs have closed and nine schools in the upper Hunter and Tamworth areas are being evacuated.

Three emergency level blazes are burning across northern NSW, there is one near Coffs Harbour, two near Kempsey and a cluster near Taree in the mid north.

A bushfire burning in the area of Wine Country Drive at North Rothbury is spreading quickly. The NSW Rural Fire Service said it is too late to leave, and residents should seek shelter.

How to use the NSW 'Fires Near Me' app

Residents in and around affected areas are being advised to download the RFS "Fires Near Me' app to keep track of fires in the area.

To use it, simply head to wherever you get your app download and input your address. You will see fires burning in your area.

For alerts and updated make sure you allow notifications in your preferences.

READ MORE: How to use the 'Fires
Near ME' app

How did the NSW fires start

No official cause has been given for the fires. But the dry conditions throughout much of the state, are responsible for the escalating crisis.

A 27-year-old man has been fined after allegedly lighting a small campfire to boil water for cups of tea during NSW's total fire ban.

Meanwhile, a nine-year-old boy has been issued with a warning after admitted to lighting a grassfire with a blowtorch during the fire ban.

Weather forecast tomorrow

A week-long state of emergency has been declared in NSW, with Defence standing by to provide support including for search and rescue operations.

Today's conditions are unfolding as expected, with fires burning through tens of thousands of hectares of bushland.

"The reality is conditions will simply continue to get worse and deteriorate over the coming hours and particularly into this afternoon, driven by rising temperatures and high, dry winds," RFS commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said.

"We are certainly starting to see an increase in fire activity and therefore the fire danger is increasing accordingly."