Residents whose homes were burnt when a backburn lit by the Rural Fire Service at Mt Wilson got out of control have failed in a bid for more details on an internal report into the incident.

The Mt Wilson RFS Backburn Survivors Group sought information on the report before the resumption of the coronial inquiry into the NSW 2019-20 bushfires on May 16.

The group is being represented pro bono by barrister, former NSW Upper House MP and former Blue Mountains mayor, Adam Searle, Mt Wilson.

A survivors group spokesman, Jochen Spencer, said in preparation for the upcoming hearing, they wrote to the RFS Commissioner seeking 314 references that are missing from an investigation report.

He said the group could not test the report’s findings without the reference material relied on to formulate them. “It is normal practice for a government department to reference sources relied on to make statements of fact, but this has not been done,” Mr Spencer said. “We requested the 314 references missing from the RFS on February 1… Finally they said, through a directions hearing at the coroners court, they are not going to provide the information and the report.

He said the references would help the group “get a better picture of what the plan was and how it was carried out”.”It is really disappointing to have a government department be have like this.”

An RFS spokesman said the organisation had produced “a vast amount of documents required of it by the state coroner and is willing to produce further specific documents if required by the coroner”.

Article Source Blue Mountains Gazette April 29 2023