Two Blue Mountains residents have died in separate car accidents in the Upper Mountains over the weekend.
A Blackheath woman, 58, died in a three-vehicle crash at Medlow Bath about 4pm on Friday.
The woman was on the highway driving east, about 1km from Evans Lookout Road, when police were told the car crossed double white lines and collided with a station wagon heading west being driven by a 59-year-old from Bathurst.
A third vehicle then scraped along the first vehicle as the driver attempted to avoid a collision. The drivers of the first two vehicles and a passenger from the second were trapped and required extraction by Blue Mountains Police Rescue. The occupants of the second vehicle were taken to hospital, and the driver of the third vehicle was uninjured. A police investigation is underway.
Then on Sunday, a Leura woman, aged 80, died in a three-car-accident at Wentworth Falls.
Police were told she was waiting for a safe gap in the traffic as she attempted to turn right at Sinclair Crescent to head west on the highway at about 5pm.
"However, the gap was insufficient and the driver's side of the vehicle was struck by an eastbound SUV being driven by a 39-year-old male from Kentlyn who was travelling with a 38-year-old female and three children," said Blue Mountains Police Detective Inspector Scott McAlpine.
The first vehicle and a third vehicle, waiting on the highway to turn right into Sinclair Cres, also collided.
The Leura woman was trapped in her vehicle and died at the scene, and her passenger, a 58-year-old woman, was seriously injured requiring hospitalisation. No one else was injured. A police investigation is ongoing.
Katoomba fire
Burning incense started a fire in an apartment in Katoomba on Sunday afternoon.
Police and firefighters were called to a Katoomba Street apartment about 3.15pm.
"A 58-year-old male resident lit incense, but instead of smouldering, the incense caught fire and the fire spread to nearby curtains. In turn, the fire on the curtains spread to the walls and ceiling," Det Insp McAlpine said.
NSW Fire and Rescue extinguished the fire in about five minutes, and the apartment complex was evacuated and all residents accounted for.
The resident was taken to Katoomba Hospital with minor burns and smoke inhalation. Fire service investigators and detectives from Blue Mountains Police have deemed the fire accidental.
"Due to water damage caused extinguishing the fire, power to the entire complex has been cut off. Emergency housing has been arranged for all residents," Det Insp McAlpine said.
Child approach
Police are appealing for information after a child was approached by a man at Winmalee on June 23.
Police said a 13-year-old girl was walking through the car park of the Winmalee shopping centre on White Cross Road just after 8am when the male passenger of a vehicle got out and approached her.
Police have been told the man offered the girl a lift. She declined and walked off, notifying school staff.
The man is described as Caucasian with brown hair and a greying beard. He was wearing a green hooded jacket, blue work pants with reflective bands, and boots. The vehicle is described as a white Mitsubishi Express van, towing a trailer.
Anyone with information or dashcam vision is urged to contact Springwood Police Station or Crime Stoppers.
