Firefighters in Sydney faced an apocalyptic scene as they battled a massive explosion at a chemical recycling plant that rained chunks of concrete and building debris from the sky.
The Inferno Erupts
The catastrophic blaze erupted on Saturday night local time at a recycling facility on Kurrajong Street, described by experienced fire crews as a 'once in a career type of experience'. More than 200 firefighters rushed to the scene after the fire took hold before 11pm, but despite their efforts, the inferno grew rapidly and exploded with tremendous force.
A fireball burst 500 feet (150 metres) into the air, spewing blocks of material high above the city. The explosion was so powerful that one storage tank shot away like a projectile and landed 200 metres away, narrowly missing a railway line.
Firefighters Under Fire
Fire and Rescue NSW Commissioner Jeremy Fewtrell expressed his astonishment at the scale of the disaster. 'I have never seen anything like that, to that degree', he stated. 'I've had firefighters today tell me they've been in the job for almost forty years and had never seen an explosion fire so big, so it was very significant.'
The emergency crews found themselves in extreme danger as debris showered down upon them. Commissioner Fewtrell detailed the terrifying scene: 'There was a large amount of debris that got showered down on the firefighters, as well as clumps of bricks and concrete that have been blown apart from the explosion.'
Two firefighters sustained injuries when chemicals seeped through their protective gloves during the intense firefight. The explosion had blown in boundary walls of adjoining properties, forcing crews to battle the blaze inside neighbouring premises to prevent further spread.
Aftermath and Investigation
By late Sunday afternoon, the recycling plant building had been completely destroyed by the ferocious blaze, marking it as one of the biggest fires seen in the region in years. Although the walls of the neighbouring business were 'blown apart', firefighters managed to save the interior from destruction.
Authorities established a 200-metre exclusion zone around the area and urged residents to close windows and vents to avoid exposure to harmful smoke. Hazardous material crews remain on the scene as police and fire investigators work to determine the cause of the explosion.
Commissioner Fewtrell explained the investigation process: 'Over the course of today and coming days the fire investigators and police will be compiling all that information to make an assessment on how this may have started.' He acknowledged that it might prove challenging to determine the exact cause, depending on available evidence.
The investigation continues as authorities piece together the sequence of events that led to this dramatic industrial accident.
