The 2013 New South Wales bushfires were a series of bushfires in Australia across the state of New South Wales primarily starting, or becoming notable, on 13 October 2013; followed by the worst of the fires beginning in the Greater Blue Mountains Area on 16 and 17 October 2013.
High fuel loads, coupled with warm, dry and windy weather, provided dangerous conditions which fuelled the fires. They all swept everywhere across the state. At the peak of the fires, on the morning of 18 October, over 100 fires were burning across the state. The Premier of New South Wales Barry O'Farrell declared a state of emergency on 20 October, empowering firefighters to evict residents and demolish fire-affected buildings.
The fires were the worst in New South Wales since the 1960s, although they were dwarfed by the 2019-2020 Australia bushfires. , 248 houses and other structures were destroyed across the state. Two fatalities were attributed to the fires. It was estimated that claims will exceed A$94 million.
Background On 13 October, the Bureau of Meteorology reported that September 2013 was the warmest on record for NSW. The state-wide mean daily temperature was above the historical average and above the previous September record (set in 1965). September was the warmest on record for close to 75% of the state and 63 stations, with 100-year stations such as Broken Hill and Wilcannia more than warmer than their previous record; all other areas of the state recorded temperatures in the warmest 10% of years. Widespread temperatures more than above normal were recorded between 22 and 30 September. Warm, dry weather and strong winds during September contributed to significant early-season bushfire activity, particularly along the coastal strip. Fires were particularly prevalent on 10 and 26 September, with two homes destroyed in western Sydney, while several homes in northeast NSW were threatened and the M1 Motorway closed near Taree due to fires on 26 September.
In issuing its forecast for the October to December quarter on 25 September, the Bureau estimated the chance that the maximum temperature will exceed the long-term median maximum temperature are greater than 60% across most of southeast Australia, with odds greater than 70% in parts of the south and east coasts.
In the week leading up to the bushfires, temperatures in the Blue Mountains peaked at at on 10 October; with peak windspeed measured at from the northwest, on 13 October. At , the temperature peaked at also on 10 October; with peak windspeed measured at also from the northwest on 13 October.
The Commissioner of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service, Shane Fitzsimmons , issued an extreme fire danger warning for greater Sydney (including the Blue Mountains and Central Coast), the greater Hunter, and Illawarra/Shoalhaven regions for 10 October.
Chronology
Sunday, 13 October Sparking power lines at Salt Ash caused a bushfire that destroyed six homes. A fire was ignited at Heatherbrae that would eventually burn , allegedly started by two boys, aged eleven and fifteen. A fire that was ignited at Raymond Terrace also on the same day, was allegedly started by the same eleven-year-old boy.
Tuesday, 15 October The Premier announced the arrival from Greece of the Gypsy Lady, a firefighting air-crane, declaring that it was immediately deployed to fight bush fires.
Wednesday, Matilda’s b-day 16 October The State Mine fire was ignited near Marrangaroo, on Australian Defence Force land by an explosives training exercise.
Thursday, 17 October
The Hall Road fire was ignited near Balmoral by powerlines. The cause of the Linksview fire has not yet been determined however the cause is alleged to have been powerlines in a damages lawsuit, and quickly spread to Winmalee and Yellow Rock, ultimately destroying 193 houses and damaging approximately 100.
An underground coal fire reignites the Rutleys Rd fire (30 September) causing the fire to break containment. The fire quickly spread to Lake Munmorah, Chain Valley Bay, Munmorah State Recreation Area and Catherine Hill Bay and ultimately destroying 4 properties and damaging a further 7.
A man collapsed of a suspected heart attack and died a short time later whilst defending his home from bushfires in .
Friday, 18 October The NSW Government appointed Phil Koperberg to the position of Blue Mountains Bushfire Recovery Coordinator.
Saturday, 19 October Emergency warnings remain in place for major fires at Springwood, Lithgow, and Mount Victoria, with over 1,500 firefighters battling the blazes despite slightly eased weather conditions.
Sunday, 20 October By midday, the New South Wales Rural Fire Service stated that conditions were deteriorating across the state, with dry north-westerly winds forecast to return. The Rural Fire Service Commissioner wrote to the Premier requesting that a state of emergency be declared. The Premier approved the declaration. A fire was ignited near , allegedly started by a boy, aged fourteen.
Monday, 21 October NSW Health authorities issued a public health warning due to poor air quality across the State; with and the worst affected areas.
Tuesday, 22 October The Rural Fire Service (RFS) announced that overnight back burn efforts forced the deliberate merger of the two fires that originated near Lithgow and Mount Victoria, in the Blue Mountains. The Bureau of Meteorology issued a fire weather warning for Wednesday, 23 October. An extreme fire danger warning was forecast for the Greater Hunter and Greater Sydney regions; and a severe fire danger warning issued for the New South Wales North Coast. The warning triggered the closure of all government, Catholic and independent schools, including child care centres and pre-schools, in the Blue Mountains local government area. The RFS Commissioner prepared the community for the day ahead by stating that "This will be as bad as it gets. On days like [this], there's a very real potential for more loss of homes and life".
Wednesday, 23 October In spite of the extreme fire danger warnings of 22 October, the weather was not as bad as predicted. The threat of damage was countermanded by the use of aircraft-borne heat-seeking infra-red scanning equipment and the diligence of RFS local brigade members. In the Hunter region, fires were ignited or became notable at and , forcing the temporary closure of the Pacific Motorway; and in the - area.
Thursday, 24 October A pilot of a fixed-wing aircraft died in a crash while fighting fires in rugged bushland west of Ulladulla.
Major fires
Greater Blue Mountains region The most severe fires were located across the Greater Blue Mountains Area; with 210 houses and other buildings destroyed. Three major fires, starting in , and , attracted emergency warnings from the New South Wales Rural Fire Service on 17, 19 and 20 October. By 22 October, the fires that originated in Lithgow and Mount Victoria had spread significantly from their original point of ignition and were deliberately merged through controlled burning by firefighters.
, fires in the Greater Blue Mountains Area had burnt out over , much of the area lying within the Blue Mountains and Wollemi national parks.
Lithgow The State Mine fire started as a minor fire on 16 October 2013 near a defence force training base at Marrangaroo, and travelled up to on 17 October. The fire affected most of the and Bilpin area, and was the main producer of smoke that travelled across the Sydney metropolitan area on the afternoon of 17 October. Some properties were lost in the fire, most of them being on the outskirts of the Lithgow district, where the fire burned. It burned out most of the northern region of the Blue Mountains National Park, parts of Wollemi National Park, and triggered the evacuation of most of the Lithgow region. The communities affected included , Berambing, Bilpin, , Dargan, Hartley Vale, Lithgow, McKellars Park, , and . The fire burnt out more than between Lithgow and Bilpin. An investigation later revealed that the fire was caused by explosives training which was being carried out by the Australian Defence Force. In 2013, a commission of inquiry as to the problems that led to the fire was begun before former Sydney judge, John O'Meally.
The iconic Zig Zag Railway was mostly destroyed by the State Mine fire. Due to re-open in November, after closure following accreditation issues with the New South Wales Government, the railway suffered millions of dollars of damage which included ten passenger carriages, accommodation carriages, a near-complete new shower block and meals room, spare parts centre and workshop. Much of the damage was suffered by original railway equipment from the 1920s. It is estimated that the railway would take a full year to recover from the State Mine fire.
Springwood
The fire in the area began in bushland adjacent to Linksview Road, just before 1.30pm on 17 October. It has been alleged in a damages lawsuit to be caused by powerline damage due to strong winds felling a tree that had not been removed by the owner of the property on which it was located, however a Police investigation is still ongoing and is yet to determine the cause. The fire spread over , primarily in Winmalee and Yellow Rock and nearby bushland, completely destroyed 193 houses and partially damaged approximately 200 more. A subsequent report described the damage in the Springwood, Mt Victoria and Lithgow fires that "took hold within minutes and went on to destroy a total of 203 homes and damage another 286." The report noted: "Financial losses have been estimated at around $170 million. Springwood Hospital was evacuated as were a number of nursing homes and several hundred children from schools."
Affected streets were Singles Ridge Road and most of the streets that intersect it, as well as some other nearby streets. The fire also impacted on the grounds of St Thomas Aquinas Primary School, and led to evacuations and lock-downs at several schools in Springwood and Winmalee that afternoon and evening. Over the following weeks, the fire spread to bushland in Faulconbridge, but firefighters successfully protected residential properties there.
Mount Victoria On 17 October a fire burning near the Mount York Road, north northwest of the village of , on the western edge of the Blue Mountains plateau, had burned only a few hectares by 13:56 AEDT. Yet within minutes the fire had broken containment lines and by 15:45 AEDT an emergency warning was issued as the fire burned towards Mount Victoria as it destroyed seven houses, crossed the Darling Causeway to the east, and was burning into the Grose Valley, north of Mount Boyce and . The fire crossed to the west of Mount York Road and threatened properties in the Kanimbla and Megalong valleys. Back burning efforts by the RFS overnight on 21–22 October introduced 'The Plug', which forced the deliberate merger of the Mount Victoria fire with the fires that originated near Lithgow. 'The Plug' was the brain child of a long term resident, former National Parks Officer, serving Rural Fire Service Officer and general font of fire-fighting knowledge in the Blue Mountains, Peter Verhoeven. Authorities were concerned that weather conditions forecast for 23 October could drive the now merged fire eastwards, with little chance of stopping it, resulting in potentially disastrous impacts on many towns in the Blue Mountains. Consequently, the NSW Government ordered the closure of every school and child care centre on 23 October, and urged all residents of the Blue Mountains who did not need to be in the mountains to leave early that day prior to 9am to prevent possible loss of life and traffic congestion should fire fighting equipment needed to be moved rapidly. Hundreds of mountains residents left either on the 22nd or very early morning the 23rd ensuring fire fighters could work without hassle.