Drummoyne Bowling Club fire at building on Victoria road
Multiple fire trucks have been called to a bowling club on fire in Sydney’s inner west this afternoon after emergency services received 40 triple-0 calls.
Inner West
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Multiple fire trucks were called to a bowling club on fire in Sydney’s inner west.
Emergency services were called to a fire at the abandoned Drummoyne Bowling Club on Victoria Road just after 1.30pm Thursday.
A NSW Fire spokesman said four fire trucks were at the scene and six more were enroute just before 2pm.
He said they received a staggering 40 triple-0 calls alerting them to the fire.
“It’s a derelict bowling club. A primary search of the building is underway,” he said.
Thick plumes of smoke could be seen coming out of the abandoned bowling club on Wednesday afternoon.
Local resident Daniel Fraser said he was first alerted after he heard emergency crews drive past his home on Lyons Road.
“We heard all the police and fire crews rip past, looked out the window and saw the smoke plume and the helicopters,” Mr Fraser told The Northern District Times.
Mr Fraser said he remembers when the bowling club was a popular spot for local residents before it shut down years ago.
“It used to be a really nice little bowling club full of old school rusted on locals but it went broke a while ago due to declining patronage and was purchased by developers like a number of other bowling clubs around Sydney.”
No one was injured.
After 2pm, officers blocked off nearby roads and local residents were moved down the street.
Diversions were initially in place on both sides of Victoria Road after smoke had been impacting oncoming traffic.
Motorists were also urged to keep off Victoria Road.
The bowling club has caused controversy over the years after it closed down in 2012, two years shy of its 100th birthday.
In 2016, a youth street gang known as the “Drummoyne Boys” had taken over the premises and in the years since locals say it has become an eyesore in the relatively affluent suburb.
The site has been left in limbo for years after plans to redevelop were flagged with the City of Canada Bay Council.
It is understood squatters had been staying at the club in recent times.
The building has for a number of years sported broken windows and doors with the outside areas strewn with rubbish and overgrown plants.
Across the road from the club is a garage and service station where locals watched the drama play out at an acceptable social distance from each other before being moved on by police.
Police had earlier been in the area ensuring social distancing was being followed on walking and bike paths around Five Dock bay and near Drummoyne Oval.