Fire and Rescue NSW were quick to extinguish the blaze. Photo: Fire and Rescue NSW.
Firefighters have extinguished a blaze inside Wagga’s abandoned Murrumbidgee Mill after smoke was reported coming from the historic building on Wednesday evening (16 September).
Fire and Rescue NSW crews from Wagga’s 472 and 480 stations were called to the Edward Street site shortly after 6 pm following multiple triple zero calls reporting smoke.
“At about 6:15 pm we were alerted to smoke coming from the abandoned mill,” Fire and Rescue NSW inspector Frank Finlay told Region.
“We are aware that a few squatters reside in the old building. On arrival, we found a small amount of smoke and sent crews inside to check.”
Crews entered the building and found a fire burning in a below-ground pit filled with rubbish and other materials.
“The crews carried out a search and rescue of all five levels of the mill to check for people but did not find anyone inside.”
The fire service used an aerial ladder to provide lighting from above and help crews navigate the large premises.
There were no reports of injuries. NSW Police also arrived on the scene.
Anyone who may have been inside the building left before fire crews arrived.
A short time later, Wagga’s firefighters were in action again.
“About half an hour later, there were reports of a fire in a Sulo bin nearby on Peter Street. Crews rushed to the scene and quickly extinguished the small blaze,” Inspector Finlay said.
The two fires broke out as Wagga shivered through an unusually cold Wednesday for September, with temperatures dropping to just one degree in the morning before reaching a chilly top of 15 degrees.
The mill incident comes after Region reported last month that homeless people had been sleeping inside the vacant premises due to the chronic shortage of affordable housing.
Windows at the building had also been smashed, raising concerns about people gaining access to the abandoned site.
Fire crews were quickly on the scene.
The Murrumbidgee Mill is one of Wagga’s most recognisable landmarks, but has spent decades caught up in stalled redevelopment plans.
The historic flour mill opened in 1890 and ceased operating in 1978, with the former mill later listed by the National Trust.
For almost two decades, successive developers have promised to transform the site, with plans including apartments, restaurants, bars, a brewery and a major hotel.
The site was put back on the market several times as those plans stalled.
In 2023, the mill was marketed as a “shovel-ready” hotel development opportunity, with the owners having reportedly spent about $12 million on the stalled project.
A portion of the site was again put on the market in 2024, with agents seeking offers of about $5 million.
The mill finally changed hands in 2025, with HTL Property announcing it had been sold to a local hotel operator for a price reportedly above $3 million.
The buyer’s plans for the site were not initially disclosed.
