Two teens hand themselves in to police over Surry Hills inferno

Two 13-year-olds have handed themselves in to police and more youths are being urged to come forward as police investigate arson as a potential cause of the Surry Hills factory inferno.SEE PICTURES AND VIDEO

Two 13-year-olds have handed themselves in to police and more youths are being urged to come forward as police investigate arson as a potential cause of the Surry Hills factory inferno.

NSW Police Acting Assistant Commissioner Paul Dunstan said the young people were seen running from the fire about 4pm on Thursday.

The two 13-year-olds separately handed themselves in at Paddington and Kings Cross police stations.

Neither have been charged but they are helping police with their inquiries.

“We are aware of a further three or four young people who were present during the fire. We ask them to come forward with their parents and put their side of the story forward,” Assistant Commission Dunstan said.

Danger site … all that remains of the heritage building on Friday. Picture John Grainger

Earlier, NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb confirmed officers were treating the Surry Hills factory inferno as suspicious.

“We are considering it suspicious based on the evidence available,” the commissioner told 2GB on Friday.

A police officer surveys the damage at first light on Friday. Picture John Grainger

“I think (NSW) fire has already commented on this, that it’s still an active fire ground and it won’t be handed over to detectives until the fire is out and the building is safe for us to enter and investigate but certainly the arson squad has been involved since yesterday.”

As investigations continue, fire chiefs have warned forecast heavy winds on Friday could pose a “significant risk” of building collapse at the site.

NSW Fire and Rescue Superintendent Adam Dewberry warned the historic building is incredibly dangerous, saying there is a high chance the remaining high walls will fall.

Falling masonry around a damaged ute at the scene. Picture: John Grainger

Incredible rooftop footage shows the aftermath of the Surry Hills fire. #SurryHills #SurryHillsfire pic.twitter.com/u80uhG1fRu

— Emily Kowal (@KowalEmily) May 25, 2023

Nearby residents were warned of dangerous conditions at the fire site.

A drone is dispatched to assess damage. Picture: John Grainger

Emergency services at the scene on Friday. Picture: John Grainger

Investigations are continuing into the blaze, with fireys deploying a drone to scope out the site and guide emergency workers in their operation.

Debris crashed to the ground near firefighters. Picture: AAP

Heritage building fire

The 110-year-old Surry Hills building went up in flames and dramatically collapsed in front of hundreds of people who watched on as firefighters dodged falling debris in a vain attempt to extinguish the inferno on Thursday.

In one of the biggest building fires in Sydney’s recent history, the blaze began about 4pm on the third floor of the abandoned building at 7-13 Randle St, Surry Hills — an unoccupied brick heritage building near Central Station.

The fire quickly engulfed the entire six-storey structure.

A wall collapses during the building fire in Surry Hills. Picture: AAP

Huge chunks of the wall fall to the street. Picture: AAP

The street turn red after the wall collapses. Picture: AAP

It is understood the building was previously used as a commercial office space, and had been abandoned for some time before the blaze began.

In a matter of minutes a tornado of black smoke towered into the sky as NSW Fire & Rescue worked to extinguish the blaze, and witnesses heard explosions ringing out from inside the collapsed wreckage.

At one stage more than 30 fire trucks and 120 firefighters were on the scene battling the raging inferno.

Firefighters were forced to keep their distance as a smaller building alongside the blaze also went up in flames, with multiple walls and sections of ceiling breaking apart and falling to the street below in waves of burning hot debris.

Firefighters put out a fire in a ute parked on the street below, but the vehicle was later crushed by debris.

Embers travelled across Randle St to the buildings opposite, causing spot fires on the rooftop gardens of nearby apartments.

“It’s the biggest fire I’ve seen in the city that’s for sure,” a firefighter told The Daily Telegraph at the scene.

One witness was left in awe of the blaze’s ferocity.

“We were two blocks away and could still feel the intense heat,” the man said.

“It’s like hell on earth.”

Firefighters in Surry Hills on Thursday. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Embers falling on a nearby car. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Huge plumes of smoke and flames seen at the Surry Hills building fire. Picture: Alexi Demetriadi

A firefighter battles the blaze, which is lighting up the street. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Property records show the first building ablaze, at 7-13 Randle St, is owned by a company named Hanave Pty Limited. It has a current land value of $9.5 million.
The 714.5sq m site is covered by heritage restrictions.
The fire quickly engulfed the entire building, leading to the ceiling caving in.

Part of the wall of the first building then collapsed and it, and other debris, fell to the ground below.

Eye witness accounts

Michelle Slater, visiting from Canberra, had walked out of Central Station when she noticed the smell of something burning.

“It escalated really quickly,” Ms Slater said.

“The flames went higher and higher and then all of this stuff was falling off the building like glass and corrugated iron crashing on to the ground. It happened so quickly and so fast and all of these people were screaming out, ‘get out, get out’.

The flames blaze high. Picture: Josh Hanrahan

Smoke is also billowing into the sky.

The building fire brought nearby streets to a standstill.

The heat could be felt by people a block away. Picture: Alexi Demetriadi

The blaze in Surry Hills. Picture: Jonathan Ng

“Half of the building just smashed to the ground. It was really, really hot, even across the road it was baking.

“It was like a bad American action film but we were seeing it in real life. Just with the chaos, I don’t think people really realised what was happening, there was this kind of stunned awe.”

Couple Prasidhi and Anditia Artono moved to their unit eight months ago, immigrating from Indonesia for new jobs.

They found out the flames were licking their unit through social media and are petrified about losing their home.

Prasidhi and Anditia Artono said their flat was metres from the fire and they're incredibly nervous about the safety of important items in their home. Picture: Alexi Demetriadi

“I’m so nervous,” Mr Artono said.

“There’s so much important stuff in there, our immigration documents, passports, personal valuables. I only found out 20 minutes ago, I don’t know if our flat is safe.

“We didn’t think stuff like this happened in Australia.”

Ms Artono said she was studying nearby when a classmate sent her a video and she realised her home was about a metre from the raging fire.

“We saw how close it was and thought it was ours,” she said.

“We were worried we’d left the stove or gas on, that we’d caused it — we don’t know when we’ll be allowed back in.”

Resident TJ, who chose not to give his full name, realised his small unit was metres from the flames after he returned from a swim to hundreds of phone calls.

TJ was having a swim nearby when he stated getting messages and calls from friends.

“I had all these messages and calls — videos of the fire and people saying ‘that looks a lot like your place’,” he said.

“I thought it did look very close, so I rushed over, ducked under the police tape — it’s incredibly stressful.

“It’s concerning, I doubt I’m getting let back in anytime soon.”

The fire caused significant damage to neighbouring buildings, leaving them charred by the intense flames.
By 5pm, firefighters’ tireless efforts finally started to pay off as they appeared to be in control of the fire, with flames reduced to a smouldering glow.
Only remnants of the brick structure remain as the clouds of smoke slowly disappear.

Staff members at a neighbouring businesses said they first smelt the smoke at 3.50pm.

“I smelt smoke just before 3.50pm and looked outside,” a Dominos worker said.

“Within minutes the flames pretty much engulfed the entire building, firefighters rushed us out of the kitchen before we could grab our stuff and turn things off.”

Rush hour commuters were forced to navigate through crowds as they struggled to make their way into Central train station, hampered by the police tape that cordoned off the area.