The NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) has declared the end of the state’s bushfire season.

It extended the season, which typically lasts between October and March, after severe fires blazed in the final month. 

Officials say this year has been the busiest fire season the state has seen since the Black Summer fires of 2019-20, with nearly 25,000 incidents reported and more than 116,000 hectares burnt.

The NSW RFS says eight homes and 15 other buildings were destroyed during the season, and hundreds of livestock were lost.

The announcement will ease restrictions surrounding fire permits for planned burns, but residents are warned to maintain precautions against fire risks during a drier-than-usual winter.

“Whilst the bush fire season has ended, this doesn’t mean the risk of fire has, with the shift from recent wet weather to drier conditions already being seen across much of NSW,” NSW RFS Commissioner Rob Rogers said.

“With a warm and dry winter predicted, there is a real risk of fires occurring across the cooler months this year.”