NSW: Firefighters prepare to spend the day battling factory fire

AAP General News (Australia)
08-03-2009
NSW: Firefighters prepare to spend the day battling factory fire

SYDNEY, Aug 3 AAP - A fire at a warehouse in Sydney's west continues to burn, with
firefighters preparing to work through the day to battle the blaze.

Up to 40 firefighters kept watch at the scene of the fire, an industrial complex at
Fariola Street in Silverwater, as spot fires continued to burn on Sunday night.

The warehouse, containing aerosols, fuel, plastics and other materials, erupted into
flames just before 9am (AEST) on Sunday.

The fire, which all but destroyed the 80-metre by 60-metre storage facility, produced
a large amount of smoke that was feared could pose a threat to neighbouring streets.

The cloud of black smoke was visible as far away as Blacktown and Maroubra.

Superintendent Graham Kingsland said four fire engines remained in place on Monday
morning, with firefighters expecting to work through the day and possibly into the night.

"The fire is not fully extinguished; we find with this scale of fire they can sometimes
burn for days," Supt Kingsland told AAP.

"So a lot of these small pockets of fire are very inaccessible (and) because of the
considerable damage to the structure it makes it quite unsafe, so some of the little pockets
of fire can be very difficult to access."

Evacuations remain in place for up to 20 surrounding households in Alex Popov and Marathon
avenues in Newington.

"They should be able to return to their homes some time today," Supt Kingsland said.

He said the cause of the fire may not be known for some time as fire investigators
had been unable to enter the building.

AAP sg/rs

KEYWORD: FACTORY

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