Global Information2013 New South Wales bushfires information
| 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)[1] |
| 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[2][3] |
| Non-fatal injuries | 2[4] |
| Structures destroyed | 500[5] |
| Damage | A$94 million[6] |
| Ignition | |
| Cause | Multiple causes: • Strong winds causing powerline damage[7] |
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.[10] The Premier of New South Wales Barry O'Farrell declared a state of emergency on 20 October,[11] empowering firefighters to evict residents and demolish fire-affected buildings.[12]
The fires were the worst in New South Wales since the 1960s, although they were dwarfed by the 2019-2020 Australia bushfires.[12] As of 19 October 2013[update], 248 houses and other structures were destroyed across the state.[5] Two fatalities were attributed to the fires.[2][3] It was estimated that claims will exceed A$94 million.[6]
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RFScurrentwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
ABC20131018was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Browne, Rachel. "Aircraft fighting NSW bushfire crashes, pilot killed". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
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SMH20131026Murphywas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Update – Fire investigation" (PDF) (Press release). New South Wales Rural Fire Service. 19 October 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
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SMH20131022boyswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Bushfire reprieve may be short-lived, with more bad weather forecast for Sunday". The Australian. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
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SBS20131020was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Owens, Jared (21 October 2013). "Emergency state in battle against 300 km firestorm in NSW". The Australian. Retrieved 21 October 2013.