Fairfield fire: Metro Petroleum station goes up in flames
Dramatic footage has captured the moment a massive fire ripped through a petrol station with explosions rocking a quiet suburb.
Around a dozen gas cylinders ignited at the Metro Petroleum station on Hamilton Road at Fairfield, in western Sydney, at 6:30pm on Wednesday night.
Each of the cylinders contained 200 kilograms of petroleum gas with the flames threatening to destroy nearby properties.
Fire and Rescue teams were called to respond to the blaze which required more than 50 firefighters and three hours to extinguish.
More than a dozen nearby residents fled their homes as 17 firetrucks sped towards the station to prevent any more petroleum from meeting the flame.
The Metro Petroleum station in Fairfield, west of Sydney, burst into flames early Wednesday night as more than 50 firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze
Explosions that sounded like rockets were heard when several cylinders containing 200 kilograms of petroleum gas were met by the flames
Superintendent Adam Dewberry described the explosions as ‘large rocket sounds’.
‘It was an extremely intense fire … the flames were leaping high and starting to impinge on adjoining properties,’ he told ABC.
Bystanders who were nearby at the time ran as far from the sounds as they could, while 15 locals successfully fled their homes unharmed.
Superintendent Dewberry said the likelihood of an untamed explosion was very real as the fire surrounded countless petroleum cylinders.
One witness who was filling up their car at the time immediately called triple-0 at the first sight of flames only to be told that fire trucks were already on their way.
Another said that the flames were ‘coming out of nowhere’ and reaching as high as trees.
Once the fire was under control a specialised hazard materials team monitored the area between Sackville Street and Hamilton Road to ensure it was safe.
‘A very fortunate outcome here to keep this incident from being catastrophic and causing severe damage,’ Superintendent Dewberry added.
Teams from NSW police worked alongside fire investigators throughout Thursday to work out what caused the fire in the first place.
The risk of a massive explosion was very real as flames surrounded dozens of cylinders but crews were able to achieve a ‘very fortunate outcome’, Superintendent Adam Dewberry said
Nearby residents were safely evacuated and the fire was tamed after three hours
A total fire ban and a severe fire danger warning was issued for the Greater Sydney area on Wednesday after dry winds created perfect tinder box conditions.
More than 100 bushfires flared up across the state in the past three days as temperatures continued to spike.
The entire country is on alert after the Bureau of Meteorology confirmed the onset of an El Nino weather pattern, raising the chances of a blistering hot and dry summer.
Another fire in Sydney’s west required the attention of more than 100 firefighters on Thursday morning after a plastics factory ignited at around 4am.
The Vinidex Plastics building on Woodpark Road in Smithfield was evacuated as flames gripped the building in the early hours of the morning.
Several fire crews and 25 trucks took more than an hour to douse the fire while 30 staff members were safely evacuated from the building.
A hazmat truck has been left onsite to manage asbestos that was detected in the roof and investigators are trying to determine what started the fire.