Fire and Rescue NSW drone technology offers unique insight into fire aftermath - Surry Hills
Published: 26 May 2023 01:14pm
Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews today remain at the scene of a major fire in Surry Hills, dousing reignition points and assisting with investigations.
The blaze, which at its peak was declared a '10th alarm', destroyed two multi-storey buildings on Randle Street yesterday afternoon.
More than 120 FRNSW firefighters and 30 fire trucks, from multiple stations across Sydney, battled into the night to contain and extinguish the flames.
They managed to save several buildings, including adjoining residential apartments and office blocks on the opposite side of the road.
The fire is now out, but a small number of fire crews remain on-site, monitoring for potential flare-ups.
They are being assisted by FRNSW's Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), or drones, which are helping pinpoint potential areas of concern.
Significant structural collapse has occurred at the site.
Engineers and other experts monitoring the stability of what remains of the buildings.
An exclusion zone is currently in place in the vicinity of the fire scene and, at this stage, is expected to remain for at least seven days.
As a result, at least 50 nearby residents have been left displaced.
The advice for anyone who has been displaced and has not yet registered should do so via https://register.redcross.org.au [external link]
Occupants of 1-5 Randall Street are permitted access to gain personal possessions, through the Red Cross registration process, but are not able to stay in the building.
The NSW Police Arson Squad has taken over the investigation into the cause and circumstances of this incident.
They are being assisted by FRNSW's Fire Investigation and Research Unit (FIRU) and are also utilising FRNSW's RPAS capabilities during this process.
For further information on the investigation please contact the NSW Police Media Unit on (02) 8263 6100 or media@police.nsw.gov.au
_EDITOR'S NOTE: _FRNSW RPAS (drone) video footage is available for download via the following web link - https://vimeo.com/830419664/e6253d1794 [external link]
Additional still images are available via the FRNSW website.
Updated: 26 May 2023 01:18pm
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Details about this incident may change and should not be used as emergency information and/or advice.
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