The owner of a local business near the massive Sydney fire that raged through a seven-storey building claims he saw children running from the site shortly after the fire began.
Phu Tang, a locksmith who works next to the razed building told reporters he saw a group of students running from the site as it went up in flames on Thursday afternoon.
He claimed he saw the group yelling out to their friend, who was on the first floor, to get out before they fled.
A NSW Fire and Rescue spokesman told NCA NewsWire the claim was unconfirmed but it would be a “tragedy” if anyone had been inside the building at the time.
“(The claim is unconfirmed) and we have no knowledge of that. We will investigate anyone who is unaccounted for, but we still can’t enter the structure because it’s unsafe to do so,” he said.
“If there was someone inside there, that would be a tragedy. It would be an absolute miracle if they survived.”
The news comes as fears grow that the walls the building, on Randle Street in Surry Hills, may collapse onto the street as fire crews continue work to contain the fallout of a massive fire that gutted its structure.
More than 100 firefighters worked to contain the fire, graded as the most severe category of fire, as it sent smoke churning into the sky and crumbled the brick facade.
Fire and Rescue NSW Superintendent Adam Dewberry said there was now a “major concern” the walls could crumble at any moment.
“There is a high chance these could fall in, collapse without notice, bringing tonnes of bricks down, those bricks becoming projectiles,” he told Sunrise on Friday morning.
There are fears a building razed by fire in Surry Hills on Thursday could collapse, turning tonnes of bricks into projectiles. Picture: 9 NEWS
Firefighters worked overnight to extinguish the horror blaze. Picture: Nathan Schmidt/ NCA NewsWire
Shocking footage taken on Thursday afternoon shows the moment part of the brick walls peeled off the building, sending a cloud of flames upward and bricks plunging to the street.
“That’s why we have such a tight exclusion zone for everyone, including firefighters in and around this area,” Superintendent Dewberry said.
“Those walls are too unsafe because if a brick hits you it will be severe injury or death. So that’s our main priority, safety first.”
The blaze was finally extinguished in the early hours of Friday morning, after a mammoth effort from emergency services, which saw busy Elizabeth Street flooded with water on Thursday night.
Bricks fell from the building on Thursday as the facade crumbled, with fears growing the rest of the building could go down at any point. Picture: Fire and Rescue NSW
The huge fire broke out near Central Station just ahead of peak hour on Thursday. Picture: Nathan Schmidt/ NCA NewsWire
Superintendent Dewberry praised the firefighters’ heroic efforts in containing the blaze before 9pm, an incredible feat considering the very high risk that the fire could have spread to not only adjoining buildings, but leap across the street.
“I don’t think people realise how under-threat the building across the road was and how firefighters stopped that fire from spreading,” he said.
Firefighters also helped to remove essential items from adjoining apartment buildings including medication and even a wedding dress for a bride that was due to be married on Friday.
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