Sydney fire: Building collapses in Surry Hills near Central Station as blaze spreads to apartments | Australia News

A massive fire engulfed a building near Sydney Central Station with a large plume of smoke rising into the air above the city.

Authorities say the building is beginning to collapse and flames are beginning to spread to nearby residential apartments.

Fire and rescue crews are on scene and roads are closed around the site.

The fire engulfed a multi-storey building in Randle Street, Surry Hills, near the CBD.

A Cooper Street onlooker described seeing parts of the burning building fall onto the Elizabeth Street sidewalk.

NSW Police said evacuations and road closures were in place around Central Station.

Fire and Rescue NSW is asking people to avoid the area, with further information to come.

In a statement, Fire and Rescue said it received multiple triple zero calls just after 4 p.m. when flames began to engulf the seven-story building.

There are more than 100 firefighters and 20 fire trucks at the scene working to contain and extinguish the blaze.

“The building begins to collapse, as the inferno begins to spread to several nearby buildings, including residential apartments,” the statement said.

“At least one nearby vehicle was also destroyed by fire.”

Light rail services do not operate between Moore Park and Circular Quay on lines L2 and L3. Transport Minister Jo Haylen said buses are also being rerouted.

The roads surrounding the fire are also closed. Chalmers Street and Randle Street are closed between Cleveland and Elizabeth Street, Elizabeth Street is closed southbound at Foveaux Street and other local roads are also closed in the area.

Trains at Central Station are still running.

Black smoke billows from the building and firefighters douse the blaze from an aerial work platform.

The building is directly adjacent to apartment buildings and backs onto a narrow lane, so nearby apartments and offices and businesses are evacuated. The metal beams inside the building are burning red and it looks like huge steel beams of the building have collapsed.

The dental school next to the central station was also evacuated.

Sirens and fire alarms go off and a helicopter is heard.

The fire has started to move lower in the building and it appears that all upper floors are mostly burnt out.

More soon …