A fire has devastated and completely destroyed a multi-storey building in central Sydney, throwing a huge cloud of dark smoke over the city.
More than 100 firefighters were battling the blaze Thursday afternoon after clearing the building.
“The building is currently completely ablaze,” said a spokesman for NSW Fire and Rescue.
“We don’t know what caused it… we’re working to contain the source, but it’s threatening adjacent buildings.”
The fire has been classified as a 10th alert level by NSW Fire and Rescue – the most severe level.
Just after 7pm, Fire and Rescue NSW Deputy Commissioner Jeremy Fewtrell said the fire was contained but not yet extinguished.
“We’ve contained the fire.” That means it won’t spread to other buildings tonight. “It’s going to take a while to get it out,” he said.
“Substantial building collapse occurred.” The still-burning fire is covered by debris and is at the bottom of the building.
“It’s difficult for us to reach in and bring the water to the fire.” “It will be several hours before the extinction is complete.”
Mr Fewtrell then talked about it the “savagery” of the flames. “There was a lot of radiant heat so even people on the surrounding streets were talking about how far away they were and they felt the heat of the fire.”
“Our firefighters had to make a great effort to get inside and initially it was too much to be able to fight the fire directly and our priority was evacuating the people inside.” “Fire prevention measures have been taken in the immediate area and fires have been extinguished in some surrounding buildings to prevent the fire from spreading to those buildings,” he said.
The deputy commissioner noted “how quickly the fire spread and completely destroyed the two buildings and you can see the big chunks of masonry falling down.”
“(It was) tremendously dangerous and (it was) fortunate that we were able to evacuate people from the area,” he said.
Mr Fewtrell said earlier in the evening that it was “far too early” to know the cause of the fire and that the matter would be investigated further tonight.
“I am pleased to report that there was no evidence of injury to members of the public,” he added.
Part of Sydney Central Station can be seen just behind a burning seven storey building
Pictured are emergency vehicles taking care of a huge fire in central Sydney
Around 25 fire engines and more than 100 firefighters are on site to contain the fire.
A witness to the fire, which was said to be the biggest fire in Sydney since 1968 – 55 years ago – said: “It was like a war zone.”
A dramatic vision emerged on Thursday showing a building engulfed in flames on Randle Lane, at the corner of Elizabeth Street in Surry Hills, on the southern edge of Sydney’s CBD.
Almost every room in the building burns as the walls and roof collapse onto the street below.
The seven-story building is surrounded by dozens of other high-rises, which are now also in danger of catching fire.
A car parked in front of the building is also ablaze in what has been called one of the largest runaway fires in living memory.
A witness told Daily Mail Australia: “We are all evacuated.” The smoke turned to fire so quickly. We believe it was an empty building.
A massive inferno burns down a building next to Sydney’s busiest train station – and has already spread to a nearby apartment complex and at least one car on the street in front
The entire seven-story building (pictured) in central Sydney caught fire on Thursday
Almost every room in the building burns as the walls and roof collapse onto the street below
A building burst into flames in Sydney’s central business district, sending thick plumes of smoke billowing into the sky
The major fire has now spread to a second building and is threatening a nearby residential building
The Sydney skyline (pictured) is bathed in a red haze due to the fire near Central Station
A shocking vision emerged Thursday afternoon showing the building on Randle Lane, corner of Elizabeth Street, in Surry Hills burning
“The size of the flames and the heat they emit is unbelievable.” Abominable. It must be affecting our building across the street now, but we’ve been moved so far that we can’t see it.”
The fire brigade remains on site and tries to bring the fire under control. They douse surrounding buildings with water to stem the spread of the fire.
The fire is believed to have started on the third floor and spread rapidly around 4 p.m. Thursday.
A burning commercial vehicle is pictured next to the burning building in Sydney
As darkness fell, people can be seen watching the fire being fought
A firefighter is seen on a ladder fighting the blaze in central Sydney on Thursday
Around 25 fire engines and 100 firefighters are reportedly deployed to fight the blaze
Pictured are rescue workers at the scene of a building fire in Sydney, Thursday May 25, 2023
Bricks lie strewn in the street and a witness said “the building looks like the bottom of a hearth” as it continues to crumble.
Trains are currently still running to and from the main train station, and the surrounding streets have been closed to traffic.
A man who lives nearby said his sister called him and asked if he knew there was a fire.
“I said no, I can’t see or smoke, and she sent me a photo and it was a huge fire,” he said.
“When I came outside to check, the street was blocked off and then a police officer grabbed me and said you have to go up the street.”
“While I was standing out here, the wall actually came down and it was pretty scary.” It was just a loud bang.’
There’s more to come
The roof of a building collapses due to a raging inferno in Sydney on Thursday
According to the Daily Mail Australia, the entire roof has been destroyed so far and workers in the area fear the fire could spread to surrounding buildings
The picture shows people keeping their distance from a burning building next to Sydney Central Station
