TWO men pulled from the rubble of an explosion and fire that gutted a supermarket and residential premises in Sydney's west are "extremely lucky" to be alive, firefighters say.
Two people are believed missing and seven police officers are in hospital after the blaze at Wentworthville just after 4.15am (AEDT) on Tuesday.
Two other men burnt in the fire managed to escape and were taken to hospital where they remain in a stable condition.
Fire and Rescue NSW spokesman Paul Bailey said the injured men were found in the rubble when crews arrived at the scene.
"The two people are extremely lucky and how they've got out of there will, I think, be the discussion for quite a while," he told reporters at the scene.
"Certainly it's very lucky for those two people, but we've still got two people trapped in that building."
Mr Bailey said the two rescued men were found about 20 metres from each other and had been on the building's second floor before it collapsed.
He said the seven police officers taken to hospital suffered smoke inhalation during the rescue operation.
It's understood the two-storey building comprised residential units on top of a commercial premises used as a two-dollar shop.
The building on Station Street has completely caved in as a result of the blaze.
Police have declared the area a crime scene and are treating the fire as suspicious.
It's not yet known what sparked it and police are unsure at this stage if an explosion at the building caused or was a consequence of the fire.
Neighbours say the explosion could be heard and felt from streets away.
"There was a loud explosion and I woke up to my house shaking and then all this popping noise and then all the people screaming," local woman Colleen told Fairfax Radio.
Senior police are on their way to Westmead hospital to speak to the injured officers.
No comments:
Post a Comment