Sydney’s west witnessed a dangerous evening on Wednesday as more than 50 firefighters battled a major fire at a petrol station in Fairfield.
At around 6:30 pm, emergency services responded to a critical situation at the Metro Petroleum station in Fairfield, where around a dozen gas cylinders, including liquid petroleum gas storage tanks and barbecue gas cylinders, had exploded.
Stay up-to-date on the latest news with The New South Wales Briefing – keeping you in the loop with news as it hits:
Fire and Rescue NSW Superintendent Adam Dewberry described the situation as “extremely intense” with flames leaping high and threatening to engulf nearby properties.
The terrifying sound of “large rocket sounds” emanated from the burning site, adding to the chaos.
Fifteen residents from nearby homes managed to evacuate the area safely as firefighters from 17 trucks worked to contain the blaze.
“When our firefighters got here they were confronted with a huge fire in and around a number of 200 kilogram liquid petroleum gas storage cylinders,” Superintendent Dewberry said.
He said the fire was “extremely intense”, and flames were leaping high and starting to impinge on adjoining properties”.
Christian Nada, a witness to the fire, told ABC that “It was so hot, and after the flames went up so high, and we called the fire truck, they said they were already coming, they were on their way.”
Yousif Zaya, another local resident, said the flames were encroaching on nearby homes before emergency responders arrived, and the fire seemed to appear “out of nowhere.”
A specialised hazard materials team monitored the scene on Sackville Street and Hamilton Road after the fire was extinguished.
“A very fortunate outcome here to keep this incident from being catastrophic and causing severe damage.”
Superintendent Dewberry said police and fire investigators are at the scene this morning to investigate the cause of the blaze.
Subscribe to The Briefing, Australia’s fastest-growing news podcast on Listnr today. The Briefing serves up the latest news headlines and a deep dive into a topic affecting you. All in under 20 minutes.