Firefighters,police and emergency services respond to a large building fire on Randle Street,Surry Hills.Credit:Dion Georgopoulos
“We could hear these snaps and bang and explosions ... and all of these building materials came crashing down onto the ground,” she said. “These people in an apartment block next door were popping their heads out to find out what was going on,and we were screaming at them[to] get out.”
On Thursday night Deputy Commissioner Jeremy Fewtrell said the blaze was effectively contained to the two buildings involved. Firefighters had extinguished some small fires which spread to surrounding apartment buildings. He expected crews to be working to extinguish the blaze through the night and into the morning.
Fewtrell said one firefighter sustained a minor burn to his arm but no one else was injured by the initial fire or the building’s collapse.
“It’s incredibly lucky,and I think it’s a good reflection on the response to the community to making sure that the people in surrounding buildings responded,” he said. “I’ve seen similar size fires,but it’s certainly a very significant fire,and what’s of note was how quickly it developed.”
At least 30 fire crews and more than 120 firefighters were on the scene.
Transport NSW said Central Station was still operating as normal,but L2 and L3 light rail services from Chalmers Street have been cancelled. Multiple streets were closed to the public from Thursday afternoon.
Elizabeth Street is closed near Eddy Avenue and police are directing traffic.
The Transport Management Centre has advised motorists to avoid the area and to follow directions of emergency services.
Chalmers Street and Randle Street are closed between Cleveland and Elizabeth streets,while Elizabeth Street is closed southbound at Foveaux Street. Traffic is also being diverted off Cleveland Street. Other local roads are also closed in the area.
L2 and L3 light rail services are not running between Moore Park and Circular Quay.
“Passengers can consider catching trains or local bus services instead,however some buses are diverting due to the road closures,” the management centre said in a statement.
The rental history of the building currently describes the property as a “commercial office space”.
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In 2020,a large portion of the building was advertised by the office space rental agency Office Hub.
The agency described the property as a “buzzing coworking hub” nestled in a heritage-listed building that had “excellent photo studio facilities”. Office Hub declined to comment on the fire.
In 2021,Robinson Urban Planning for the developer Hanave successfully gained approval from the City of Sydney to build a hotel on the site with 123 rooms,two restaurants,a small bar and cafe.
According to Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects,the building was abandoned as it was being developed into a hotel. Its website states it used to be a Henderson Hat manufacturing warehouse.
Michael,who did not give his last name,was in bed in his apartment that overlooks 11 Randle Street,when he started to smell something metallic burning and heard his building’s evacuation alarm ring at 4.15pm.
He looked over his balcony to see orange flickering lights which he initially thought was from construction.
Michael went out onto the street and saw the building alight.
“It looked like a movie,” he said,adding that he was hoping no one was injured.
Michael added he had spent the last hour at the pub,before asking his friend to pick him up. He’s given up hope on returning home this evening.
With Laura Chung
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