On Saturday 5 January 2019, a large bushfire was reported on Ash Island in the Hunter River estuary in New South Wales (NSW). The 100-hectare fire was quickly brought under control by Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) and Rural Fire Service crews. Ash Island includes the Kooragang Island Waste Emplacement Facility (KIWEF), approximately seven kilometres north of Newcastle. Originally operated by BHP as a waste landfill facility to hold materials from the former Newcastle Steelworks, the site contains inert coal wash rejects, hydrocarbons and other waste including asbestos and lead contaminated dust. The site has significant environmental interest as it is adjacent to Kooragang Conservation Reserve, which provides a habitat for the green and golden bell frog.

On 28 January, researchers at the KIWEF site noticed flames and a resulting odour. Representatives from FRNSW and the Hunter and Central Coast Development Corporation (HCCDC) investigated and confirmed fires were burning underground in seven of the ten KIWEF waste emplacement pits and concluded that the fire had smouldered since the 5 January bushfire.

A multi-agency incident management team led by FRNSW was established. Major considerations in managing the response to the fire included the development of methods to extinguish the fire, the delivery of necessary resources, the health and safety of firefighters and community members, air and water quality, the protection of endangered species and the minimisation of disruption to nearby rail and port infrastructure.

Firefighting operations were carried out between 2 April and 16 April with over 11.6 million litres of water pumped over the fires. Over this period, more than 40 thermal analysis reports were produced to map and track the fires.

Thermal analysis was undertaken, and test holes were dug to confirm there were no significant subterranean fires and on 17 April, all fires were determined to be out and the site was handed back to its occupants.