Firefighters are taking advantage of favourable weather conditions to consolidate containment lines around a bushfire burning at Salt Ash in Port Stephens.

The blaze was categorised as an emergency shortly after 12:00pm on Sunday, and by 8:17pm it had burned through 2,016 hectares of land.

But by 4:30pm the New South Wales Rural Fire Service had the upper hand, and downgraded its alert for the fire to watch and act.

The alert was downgraded again to advice after 10:30pm.

The NSW RFS said the fire was under control, and Lemon Tree Passage Road has been reopened to traffic.

Firefighters will remain on the ground overnight and backburning work will continue, it said.

The NSW RFS advised motorists moving through the area to exercise caution.

The easing conditions were a relief for local residents and emergency crews.

Earlier in the day, the suburb in the Hunter region was experiencing strong westerly winds of up to 60 km/h, which fanned blazes, jumped containment lines, and pushed towards houses on Rookes Road, Lemon Tree Passage Road and Brownes Road.

Multiple crews established property protection and helicopters water bombed affected areas as embers created spot fires around the fire ground, ahead of the main fire front.

A helicopter water bombs a fire off Lemon Tree Pass Road, south of Tanilba Bay. ( ABC News: Nancy Notzon )

Jane Hollier, a media officer with the RFS, said more than 200 firefighters from the RFS, NSW Fire and Rescue, rural fire service, fire and rescue NSW and the state's National Parks and Wildlife Service had been taking on blazes around Salt Ash.

"In addition to that we have five aircrafts supporting those fire fighters on the ground," Ms Hollier said.

Strong winds have hampered efforts by firefighters to contain the blaze. ( ABC News: Nancy Notzon )

She said they were supporting approximately 70 properties in the area.

During the day emergency alert telephone messages were sent to people in the area and a main exit road, Lemon Tree Passage Road, was closed.

Salt Ash was also in an emergency state on Saturday night, but was downgraded back to advice at about 4:00am on Sunday.

There have been no confirmed reports of any loss or damage to property.

Sorry, this video has expired Salt Ash bushfire in NSW upgraded to Emergency

As of Sunday morning, there were about 82 bush and grass fires burning across New South Wales.

Firefighters will continue working to contain fires burning in Port Stephens, Shoalhaven and Bega.

The RFS said windy conditions were not expected to ease up until Wednesday.