Those who lost homes during the state’s ravaging bushfires may face higher than expected re-building costs because of the need to comply with tougher standards, Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons has warned.

“It’s not going to be the same as it was before, there is going to be a new normality,” Mr Fitzsimmons told the Herald.

RFS assessment officer Adam Small inspects a home burnt out during the Green Wattle Creek fire south-west of Sydney. Credit:Kate Geraghty

He said the RFS had been given a role in advising on building and planning regulations in bushfire prone areas since the early 2000s, but that left the “legacy development” of the previous 200 years.

“Look at some of the most beautiful, picturesque areas where people can live, in amongst the trees, up on the tops of ridge-lines overlooking valleys, and through some of the most scenic and beautiful places: the tranquillity, the wildlife, it’s a lovely place to live but inherent with that lifestyle is extraordinary risk,” he said.