A family who lost their home in a bushfire in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, has vowed to rebuild as firefighters work to protect neighbouring properties at Katoomba.

The fire, which has continued to burn in rugged terrain on the valley floor, is one of 70 burning around New South Wales, including 37 that are uncontained.

The New South Wales Rural Fire Service (RFS) had also issued a watch-and-act notice for Kurri Kurri, north-west of Newcastle, where multiple crews were battling an out-of-control fire, but has since downgraded it to an advice notice.

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The Beattie family, who have lived in the Blue Mountains for 16 years, had been evacuated four times in previous fires before Saturday’s blaze destroyed their home.

Helene Beattie said she had been prepared for the threat, and packed important documents and a brass horse before evacuating.

The horse would now represent her future, she said.

“Life is all that matters and we will find a new way of restarting and learn from this,” she said.

“This is really heightening the value of being alive.”

Ms Beattie, a psychologist, worked with relatives of survivors of last year’s devastating Blue Mountains fires, which destroyed almost 200 homes.

She said she would rebuild.

“It is worth living here and taking that risk,” she said.

Property protection measures were taken in Katoomba with the threat to homes. Photo: AAP

Gusty winds could cause problems: RFS

Lower temperatures and higher humidity levels were welcomed by fire crews in the Blue Mountains today, but they remained concerned about the risk of fire threatening homes again, RFS Inspector Ben Shepherd said.

“We continue to get some gusty winds so that will prove problematic over the course of the day,” Inspector Shepherd said.

“The main area of concentration is going to be on that valley floor, where the fire has dropped into, and actually getting firefighters right down into there in an effort to try and get the fire under control.

“We’re going to have to look at putting in what we know as remote aerial firefighting teams, so they’ll either be winched in or moved in by helicopter.

“They’ll have to work on that fire because it has the potential then to keep flaring and running back up the escarpment and back towards the homes along Cliff Drive.

“So look, still a lot of work to do, still some dangerous work to do, but we’ll have some 80 firefighters out on that fire ground today.”
About 200 firefighters battled the blaze overnight.

Many described Saturday’s conditions of hot strong winds and high temperatures the worst they have experienced in decades.

Fire conditions ‘worst in decades’

RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said firefighters were shocked by the fire’s behaviour and the conditions.

“They spoke very much about firefighting conditions, fire behaviour, in this area the likes of which they haven’t seen in 40 years,” he said.

Beverley Bateman, who lives in one of the affected streets, said it was frightening.

“It was pretty awful. Terrible smoke. It was really awful,” she said.

Firefighters inspect the burnt remains of a house at Katoomba. Photo: AAP

Residents were allowed to return home on Saturday night, but people living in homes on Cliff Drive, Brougham Street, Essendene Road and Moss Street are still on alert.

The RFS has said the fire may have been deliberately lit.

Glen Phillips, who lives on Cliff Drive, said there were constant worries about arson in the area.

“You get a lot of tourists up around here doing a lot of stupid things. And I guess that’s what we’re always fearful of, the tourists lighting fires, or the fire bugs, the arsonist,” he said.

“They all come out, especially on a total fire ban.”

Blue Mountains Mayor Mark Greenhill said his thoughts were with the residents who lost their home.

“The loss of a home is not just a loss of bricks and mortar, or a roof and walls. It is in fact the loss of a sense of place, it’s the loss of neighbours, it’s the loss of memories,” he said.

“It is something that impacts on a family very tremendously and we think of them.”

Meanwhile, firefighters also spent the night back-burning to strengthen containment lines near a fire burning at Swan Bay, near Port Stephens north-east of Sydney.

The fire had been burning near homes on Old Swan Bay Road.