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Firefighters were showered with chunks of concrete and constructing debris as they battled a volcano-like fire at a chemical recycling plant.
The inferno erupted in Sydney, Australia on Saturday night local time and was described as a ‘once in a profession form of experience’ by fire crews.
A fireball burst 500ft (150m) into the air and spewed blocks of fabric into the sky.
One storage tank shot away like a projectile and landed 200 metres away, just in need of a railway line.
Fire and Rescue NSW Commissioner Jeremy Fewtrell said: ‘I even have never seen anything like that, to that degree.
‘I’ve had firefighters today tell me they’ve been within the job for nearly forty years and had never seen an explosion fire so big, so it was very significant.’
Greater than 200 firefighters rushed to Kurrajong Street as the fireplace took hold before 11pm.
Despite one of the best efforts of emergency services, the blaze grew rapidly and exploded shortly after.
Two firefighters were injured as chemicals seeped through gloves.
Fewtrell said: ‘There was a considerable amount of debris that got showered down on the firefighters, in addition to clumps of bricks and concrete which have been blown aside from the explosion.
‘We had partitions — the boundary partitions of the adjoining properties — blown in, after which we had firefighters in a really intensive fire fight contained in the neighbouring premises attempting to stop the fireplace from penetrating those breaches.’
The fireplace, which destroyed the constructing by late Sunday afternoon, is certainly one of the most important seen within the region in years.
The partitions of the neighbouring business have also been ‘blown apart’, although the within was saved by firefighters.
A 200m exclusion zone was also arrange around the realm and residents were urged to shut their windows and vents to avoid harmful smoke getting inside.
It is just not yet known what sparked the blaze, with police launching an investigation.
Hazardous material crews remain on the scene.
Commissioner Fewtrell added: ‘Over the course of today and coming days the fireplace investigators and police will probably be compiling all that information and to make an assessment on how this will likely have began.
‘It might be that we’re not capable of, we’ll just see what evidence and data is offered, piece all of it along with the work of fireside investigators and police to try and are available to a determination on the cause.’
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