UPDATE 6PM:
All fires at North Rothbury are now burning at Advice level.
UPDATE 5PM:
A house fire at North Rothbury has been extinguished and the fire downgraded to Watch and Act.
UPDATE 4PM: Wine Country Drive between the Hunter Expressway and Tuckers Lane is CLOSED in both directions.
The Rural Fire Service has issued an Emergency warning for North Rothbury, near Cessnock, where a small grass fire is burning rapidly towards the township.
A single-story residential structure on the corner of Rothbury Road and Wine Country Drive is currently ablaze.
Properties are under threat and residents are being told to seek shelter as it is too late to leave.
The blaze is burning in a north-westerly direction, and though it is only small the RFS warns catastrophic conditions could see the situation worsen.
7 fire trucks and a strike team comprising 5 more trucks have been tasked to the scene.
Motorists are urged to stay alert and keep clear of emergency vehicles responding to incidents across the region.
