Police investigate suspicious fire at workshop in Northcote St, Kurri Kurri
New information can be revealed as investigations continue into a suspicious blaze that saw a Hunter workshop burn to the ground. It took more than 60 firefighters to get it under control.
Newcastle
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Arsonists are suspected of being responsible for an intense fire that has ripped through and completely destroyed a workshop in an industrial area in the Hunter Valley overnight.
Just after 11pm on Thursday, NSW Fire and Rescue crews responded to multiple triple zero calls to flames and smoke billowing from a plastic repurposing facility on Northcote St, Kurri Kurri.
Multiple crews - including more than 60 firefighters and 15 trucks - battled the blaze for about four hours to get it under control, with aerial appliances also called in to help fight the fire from above.
Crews were faced with heavy smoke and flames roaring from the building, with the blaze causing a significant roof collapse.
Initial inquiries confirmed the fire started outside the property with investigations to continue into the suspicious nature of the blaze.
And it can now be revealed that detectives suspect the only ignition point was next to a stacked set of plastic chairs outside the warehouse, which was unused and not connected to electricity.
Investigators will continue to canvas the area for CCTV and have urged anyone who may have seen anything suspicious to contact authorities.
Crews continued their work and mop-up well into Friday as they rendered the area safe with specialist hazmat crews on scene to monitor air quality and protect the environment from firefighting water run-off.
While the ferocious blaze left a charred, blackened mess, luckily the building was vacant, with no injuries.
Firefighters were also able to save neighbouring properties including a storage facility from any fire damage.
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