NSW Bushfires: Rain suspends critical backburning operations

An ambitious plan to back burn 60 km from Wentworth Falls to Lapstone in just three days to prepare for the lethal Green Wattle Creek fire has been temporarily thwarted by overnight rains.

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An ambitious plan to back burn 60 kilometres from Wentworth Falls to the Nepean River to prepare for the lethal Green Wattle Creek fire has been temporarily thwarted by overnight rains.

Superintendent Greg Wardle, the Rural Fire Service incident controller for the Ruined Castle, Grose Valley and Erskine Creek fires, last night told residents at an overflowing Wentworth Falls School of Arts that firefighters have “three days of benign weather” in which to do this.

“We’re comfortable, but we’re still weary ... (and) won’t take our eyes off the fires until we get substantial rain,” Supt Wardle said at the meeting, which was so packed it was decided to host a second one straight afterwards.

“I don’t see a situation where the whole of the Blue Mountains needs to evacuate.”

Blue Mountains RFS incident controller Superintendent Greg Wardle is pictured right at Blue Mountains Fire Control Centre on December 23, 2019, with Premier Gladys Berejiklian and RFS Deputy Commissioner Rob Rogers. Picture: AAP Image/Dan Himbrecht

Supt Wardle told residents the district’s backburning operations would be conducted along the existing fire trail network, which has had maintenance works in recent weeks, and would be bolstered by Fire and Rescue NSW and National Parks and Wildlife Services and “an arsenal of aircraft” to ensure the rest of the Mountains isn’t stripped of “fire coverage”.

But firefighters were on standby this morning waiting to resume backburning operations.

“We’ve halted operations at the moment because of the rain last night,” Stuart Carmichael, the captain at Blaxland Rural Fire Brigade, also RFS’ east divisional command, told The Blue Mountains News.

Crews will undertake back burning when conditions allow, he said.

Blaxland RFS Captain, Stuart Carmichael, is pictured beside a 1943 RAAF radio vehicle purchased by Blue Mountains Council in 1958 for the then Blaxland Bushfire Brigade’s use, currently being restored for community engagement purposes. Picture: Isabell Petrinic

Mr Carmichael was at the fire shed today speaking with a steady flow of residents wanting to know more about the Erskine Creek Fire that was at the weekend carved off Wattle Creek and placed under Blue Mountains’ control.

The Green Wattle Creek fire, which has spread north of Warragamba Dam, is currently being controlled and at advice level.

Supt Wardle said the worry is it has crossed the W Fire Trail and in the early hours of Saturday morning “took a 6-7km run to the north to both sides of Kings Tablelands Road”.

Fire and Rescue NSW duty commander Inspector Bruce Cameron also attended last night’s community meeting. FRNSW and National Parks and Wildlife are assisting with RFS’ backburning operations in the Blue Mountains. Picture: Isabell Petrinic

Canadian wildfire expert Ed Trenchard is in Australia lending his expertise to the RFS Blue Mountains District backburning operations. Picture: Isabell Petrinic

In response his crews began backburning on Sunday, from the corner of King Tablelands Road and the Ingar Fire Trail, in both directions.

He said both the Ruined Castle fire — which burnt into a hazard reduction burn conducted about 18 months ago around Mount Solitary — and the Grose Valley fire remains at a “patrolled state”, meaning “all edges of the fire are now contained” although “there was may be some internal burning inside the fire”.

“It was that hazard reduction burn and those lower fuels that allowed firefighters to stop the spread of (Ruined Castle), to stop it jumping onto the escarpment and, under a westerly wind, taking out the southern side of Katoomba, Leura and Wentworth Falls; that is no exaggeration,” Spt Wardle said.

Supt Wardle said to control the Grose Valley Fire crews have backburned in Mount Victoria, Blackheath, Medlow Bath, Katoomba, along Mount Hay Road and Rock Lilly Fire Trail towards Wentworth Creek, “where we’ve managed to hold that fire for over a week now.”

He encouraged residents to do their part by cleaning up around their homes and having a bushfire survival plan in place, adding there is “a chance” of hot weather on Saturday and an early-morning southerly change that could pose a threat to the Blue Mountains community.

A sign at Kings Tableland Rd turn-off, Wentworth Falls, alerts motorists to back burning smoke. Firefighters will also back burn from Woodford, south along the Bedford Creek Fire Trail and along Oaks Fire Trail, heading south and then east to the Nepean River. Picture: Isabell Petrinic

“A well-prepared homes allows us a greater opportunity to defend properties,” Supt Wardle said, adding in the event of a fire emergency “please don’t expect a fire truck at every door, because it won’t happen”.

Blue Mountains mayor Mark Greenhill applauded the interagency co-operation during these operations, “the likes of which I have never seen before.”

Another community meeting will be held tonight at 6.30pm at Lawson Community Centre to prepare people for the fire coming up from the south, and explain the backburning efforts.