Firefighter killed by falling tree amid NSW wildfires that destroyed over 20 homes
A 59-year-old firefighter from New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service died late Sunday, December 7, 2025, at Nerong, Bulahdelah, after being struck by a falling tree while working on a wildfire burning across the state’s Mid North Coast.
Wildfire in New South Wales, Australia on December 8, 2025. Credit: NSW RFSA
A 59-year-old firefighter from the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) died on Sunday, December 7, while working on a wildfire at Bulahdelah on the state’s Mid North Coast.
Emergency crews were called to a property on Little Nugra Road at Nerong in Bulahdelah at 22:45 local time (LT) on Sunday after reports that a firefighter had been struck by a falling tree.
Crews performed CPR, but the man could not be resuscitated and was pronounced dead at the scene. This was the first death of an NPWS firefighter since 2011, according to SBS News.
“It is believed he suffered a cardiac arrest after being struck by a falling tree,” Environment Minister Penny Sharpe said.
“National Parks staff who were with him performed CPR until New South Wales Ambulance crews arrived.”
The wildfire burned through 3 500 ha (8 650 acres) of woodlands and destroyed four homes over the weekend, Rural Fire Service Commissioner Trent Curtin said.
The wildfire flared again on Monday afternoon and held a Watch and Act status, moving in a south-easterly direction towards Nerong. Curtin said firefighters expected to work on the blaze for several days.
There were 52 wildfires burning across New South Wales on Monday, with nine out of control. Curtin said 20 homes were destroyed over the weekend in that state.
In Tasmania, a weekend wildfire destroyed 19 homes in the coastal community of Dolphin Sands, local government official Dick Shaw told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
References:
1 59yo NPWS firefighter killed by falling tree during bushfire prevention work at Nerong – ABC News – December 8, 2025
2 Wildfires destroy 40 homes and kill a firefighter in Australia – AP – December 8, 2025
Rishav Kothari is Editor-in-Chief of The Watchers, where he runs the newsroom and covers earthquakes, volcanoes, severe weather and space weather.
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