Fire rips through Mad Monkey Downtown Backpackers in Kings Cross, shock CCTV shows ‘fireball’

Shock security footage shows the terrifying ‘fireball’ that ripped through the room of a Darlinghurst hostel and the lucky escape of two occupants, believed to be caused by a Lithium-ion battery.

Heart-stopping footage has captured the moment two backpackers were caught in a fireball when a Lithium-ion battery exploded inside a hostel in Sydney’s inner-east.

Just after 9am Fire and Rescue crews responded to reports a blaze had broken out in a unit on Darlington Rd in Kings Cross.

More than 20 firefighters and six fire trucks battled to contain the blaze that ripped through the two-level building.

Large clouds of black smoke were seen smouldering from the Mad Monkey Downtown

Backpackers hostel in the popular tourist district.

CCTV footage of the Darlinghurst hostel fire

The two men aged in their 20s scrambled their way out of the room after the explosion.

One of the men sustained minor burns to his leg and was transported to St Vincent’s Hospital for further treatment.

Security footage from the hostel’s hallway shows one of the French nationals standing at the doorway and talking to their friend, who was still inside the room, when a device suddenly explodes into flames.

Both men made a desperate dash to safety before attending nearby Kings Cross Police Station to seek assistance.

One of the men, aged in his 20s, sustained minor burns to his leg and was transported to St Vincent’s Hospital for further treatment.

Firefighters and police respond after Mad Monkey Downtown Backpackers in Kings Cross caught fire this morning. In this photo, a fire investigator at work. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Max Mason-Hubers

Evacuated guests collect their belongings after being allowed inside briefly. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Max Mason-Hubers

More than 70 other backpackers were forced to evacuate the building after the fire broke out. “Upon arrival a room in the hostel was well alight,” FRNSW Superintendent Adam Dewberry said.

“It took crews about 20 minutes to extinguish the blaze that initially started in one of the hostel rooms.”

Experts from FRNSW’s Fire Investigation and Research Unit collaborated with NSW Police to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Upon investigations, the blaze is suspected to have been sparked by a faulty e-bike battery left on charge.

Nearby streets have been cordoned off. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Max Mason-Hubers

These fires are tough to extinguish – their toxic and highly explosive properties mean it can take hours for firefighters to put it out.

Firefighters have warned families across NSW to be on red alert for lithium batteries, which are often found in e-scooters, e-bikes, electric vehicles and laptops, and can be highly explosive.

Fire and Rescue NSW Assistant Commissioner of Community Safety Trent Curtin recently told the Saturday Telegraph that lithium batteries pose a huge risk to the public.

An e-scooter was the suspected cause of a unit blaze in Wentworthville earlier this year. Picture: Supplied

“I’m really worried people will die in NSW,” he said.

“In New York particularly we have seen a huge amount of risk. They’ve had a lot of fatalities … we have serious concerns that will happen here.”

As the popularity of e-bikes and e-scooters increase, firefighters urge the public to know that overcharged batteries and low quality batteries can lead to explosions and lethal house fires.

Common signs that a lithium battery is about to catch fire include popping or crackling noises.