Firefighters battle major blazes overnight
Published: 31st August 2012
Fire & Rescue NSW (FRNSW) firefighters fought a number of large fires in Sydney's west and Hunter region last night.
FRNSW received numerous Triple-Zero (000) calls reporting a scrap metal yard fire at St Marys shortly before 6pm last night.
Firefighters quickly arrived at the Christie St business and found a number of stacked car wrecks well alight.
Additional fire crews from around Sydney were called to the scene in order to provide as much water as possible to douse the fire. The blaze was extinguished and the site declared safe about 10.30pm.
Meantime, Hunter firefighters were alerted to a house fire in Belmont St, Swansea at about 6.15pm. The house and garage were severely damaged.
At approximately 6.45pm, Hunter firefighters also started receiving numerous ‘000’ calls reporting a fire at an industrial complex in Sturt Rd, Cardiff.
Firefighters worked through the night to extinguish the fire and protect a number of large LPG cylinders inside. As a precaution, local train lines were shut down so trains and passengers were not endangered. The scene was declared safe just before 6.45am today.
FRNSW firefighters also responded to a small fire in a pipe juncture at a Kurnell oil refinery just before 8.45pm last night. Firefighters worked with on-site refinery fire crews to render the area safe and reduce the normal operating temperature of the pipe while repairs could be made.
"Thankfully, these fires did not result in any injuries," FRNSW Deputy Commissioner Jim Smith said.
"Our ability to quickly and efficiently deploy numerous crews from around the Greater Sydney Area, including the Hunter region, ensured that firefighters were able to minimise property damage to nearby buildings and quickly contain and extinguish the fires."