2013 New South Wales bushfires
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.
| 2013 October New South Wales bushfires | |
|---|---|
View of the Blue Mountains fires and the Sydney metropolitan area from NASA's Aqua, using MODIS imagery on 17 October. | |
| Date(s) | 17 October 2013 – 28 October 2013 |
| Location | New South Wales, Australia |
| Statistics | |
| Burned area | 118,000 hectares (290,000 acres) |
| Land use | • Residential, • Urban/rural fringe areas, • Farmland, • Forest reserves, • Parts of the Greater Blue Mountains Area World Heritage Site and adjacent national parks |
| Impacts | |
| Deaths | 2 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 2 |
| Structures destroyed | 500 |
| Damage | A$94 million |
| Ignition | |
| Cause | Multiple causes: • Strong winds causing powerline damage |
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. As of 19 October 2013, 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.