A group of 16 Winmalee and Hawkesbury Heights residents feel they are "the forgotten ones" of the 2013 Blue Mountains bushfires, still unable to obtain financial assistance from the state government 18 months on.
Three weeks before bushfires destroyed more than 200 homes in Yellow Rock, Winmalee and Mt Victoria, a hazard reduction burn by National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) on September 8, 2013 reignited in forecast hot and windy conditions two days later.
The bushfire escaped NPWS containment lines, crossed Hawkesbury Road on the far eastern fringe of Winmalee and swept through properties.
No homes were destroyed and while damage to homes was covered by the owners' private insurance, the group of residents led by Carol Hill and her partner Stephen Larner say they remain out of pocket to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars each for repairs to the rest of their properties, including gardens that were destroyed and for the removal of debris and dead and dangerous trees.
Letters from the state government's insurance authority - the Treasury Managed Fund (TMF) - in early and late 2014 informed them that after reviews their claims for compensation were rejected.
The TMF concluded while the damage sustained to properties due to the escaped prescribed burn was "regrettable", the Rural Fires Act provides that NPWS will not be legally liable for any damage caused by that work so long as it acted in good faith - which the TMF is satisfied it did.
Last week Ms Hill and Mr Larner contacted the NSW Self Insurance Corporation seeking an evaluation of the TMF's review process and told the Gazette anything other than a chance to negotiate and agree to some level of compensation would be unfair and unacceptable.
"We feel we shouldn't be out of pocket for their error," Ms Hill said.
"We seek a fair and reasonable outcome from a government agency that had a responsibility to conduct a hazard reduction burn without causing financial and physical loss to the affected private land owners.
"They (NPWS) also had a moral duty to warn us, but there was no attempt made to contact the affected residents to advise of the impending fire.
"This is a social justice matter and we feel they (the TMF) have totally let us down.
"Roza (Sage MP, Member for Blue Mountains) recently said millions of dollars were given to bushfire-affected residents, but not a cent was allocated to the Hawkesbury Road property owners even though the fire was declared a natural disaster."
Mr Larner said they were assisted early on by several ministers in attempts to commence negotiations, but to no avail.
"It's crap - we're coming up to our retirement and we're going backwards.
"And we are not the worst affected by this. One of our neighbours was just about to renovate or rebuild and all his building materials stored in his yard got destroyed.
"Why they (NPWS) went ahead with that burn with such severe weather forecast we don't know and we can't get access to the full reports because the TMF is claiming professional legal privilege.
"Whilst we agree with hazard reduction burns being done, they've got to be done properly and with community participation and in the event something goes wrong, the community needs to be informed and protected."
Another affected resident, James Fraser, said he incurred about $20,000 in damages after the fire destroyed his tractor, drainage grates, timber edging and all his garden.
"The TMF and the state government hope we will go away, but they have picked the wrong people," Mr Fraser said.
Member for Blue Mountains Roza Sage told the Gazette on Monday "my office and I have had regular contact with affected residents and we are continuing to provide support".
"I am advised that the NSW Self Insurance Corporation has committed to reviewing the decision," Mrs Sage said.