More than 22 fire trucks respond to North Parramatta paint factory fire

A paint factory has burst into flames in Sydney’s west, requiring more than 22 fire trucks and a team in hazmat gear to battle the chemical blaze. Watch the video from the scene.

More than 22 fire crews are on scene at a paint factory fire in Dunlop St North Parramatta. Picture: Supplied

• Horrific Church St bus crash leads to bollard calls
• Books burned in deliberate Greystanes library fire
• Merrylands arrest over $100m money laundering syndicate

A Parramatta paint factory burst into flames at 8.15am Tuesday morning.

The fire which broke out in the single level factory has quickly spread due to the paint chemicals, requiring fire fighters to attend wearing hazmat suits.

More than 22 fire trucks were on the scene of the fire in the North Parramatta industrial complex.

Emergency services at the factory fire in Parramatt. Picture: Danny Casey

Mary Khoury who works two doors down from the small factory said the smoke had filled the entire street by 8.15am.

“I came to work about 8.15am and I had my aircon on in the car and I got out and the whole street was foggy, and behind the building I could see smoke.

“We have a pet crematorium next door so I thought that’s what it was.”

She said fire trucks started arriving about 9.15am and within a short time the street was filled with fire trucks.

The smoke was coming from a small warehouse operated by a paint company two doors down from her work.

Rescue services on the scene were seen wearing face masks to protect themselves from the chemical smoke.

Fire and Rescue inspector Bryce Jonas said the building was being treated as an asbestos site, as standard procedure.

“It’s not that there is asbestos, it’s standard when we can’t determine the age of the building to assume there may be asbestos present,” he said.

The fire broke out at 8.29am this morning. Picture: Gary Hamilton-Irvine

“We have wet the whole of the surrounding area to make sure the asbestos didn’t get released and a fire hygienist is on route.”

“We had a 100 per cent success rate at preventing the chemicals from being released into the environment so that’s great, and we’ve been lucky that it is a very still day so all the smoke has gone straight up and dissipated very quickly.”

Insp. Jonas also said there is no risk to neighbouring homes or businesses.

“You wouldn’t want to get a face full of this smoke but it’s cleared very quickly and it was paint burn so not an unknown chemical, but still pretty nasty.”

Fire and rescue workers used a foam to douse the drums of paint where the fire is thought to have originated.

“Chemical fires like this are often difficult to pinpoint the starting point, since it spreads so rapidly as its so volatile it burns freely, they will find out where it started but it just might take a little longer.”

More than 50 per cent of the crews are still on the scene with the fire considered an active fire.

Fire rescue services have closed off the streets between the factory on Dunlop St, taping the area between Castle St and Church St.

Emergency services at the scene of the factory fire in Parramatta. Picture: Danny Casey