Man critical after fire, explosions rip through Concord unit
A man is fighting for his life after he leapt from a building to escape an explosion in Sydney’s inner west.
Police & Courts
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A man was forced to jump from a three-storey window after a fire broke out in his Concord apartment early this morning.
Firefighters were called to the Trafalgar Parade unit block after neighbours woke to the sound of explosions and the smell of smoke.
When crews arrived, the unit was well alight, with the blaze exploding from the windows.
“I heard all these bangs, they woke me up,” Trafalgar Parade resident Robbie said.
“I came outside and saw the huge flames and we could see the a man inside - I thought I was still dreaming.”
The occupant, aged in his 60s, suffered serious burns and was forced to jump from a three-storey window at the front of the building.
“We could see him and we were yelling at him to jump out,” Robbie said.
“He landed awkwardly, he was hurt.”
An off-duty paramedic treated his injuries, before NSW Ambulance took over and transported him to hospital in a critical condition.
It’s understood he sustained serious burns, cuts to his head, chest and arms, and pain to the right side of his body.
A crime scene is still active on Trafalgar Parade as police work with FRNSW’s Fire Investigation and Research Unit to establish a cause.
While those investigations are continuing, it’s believed the occupant may have lit a cigarette near a gas stove that had possibly been left on, triggering the explosion.
A resident of the building named Anna said everyone was able to safely evacuate before the fire spread.
“We haven’t been able to go back in yet, we’ve been told they have to check the structure,” she said.
Broken glass and items of clothing was strewn across the road outside, after the ferocity of the blaze exploded several windows.
Fire investigators could be seen inside the home - which had been clearly destroyed by the blaze.
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