A fire started at about 9am on the third floor in the manufacturing area of the Brescia Furniture factory, located on Parramatta Road in Ashfield, Sydney. The fire forced the evacuation of 200 residents and workers. The flames reached 10 metres into the sky and caused plumes of black smoke. Crews of 150 fire fighters from 30 surrounding stations worked around the clock since 9.30am on Friday, with the fire continuing to smoulder for several days. Incident Controller Chief Superintendent said bringing the fire under control was difficult because furniture, wood and other materials in the factory caused it to spread rapidly, and fire fighters could not access the building because it was not structurally sound. Demolition work began on Sunday to make the building safe for fire investigators. NSW Fire Brigades Superintendent reported that two people were treated for smoke inhalation and two fire fighters were taken to hospital with minor injuries. Traffic in the area was severely impacted for a number of days following the closure of Parramatta Road, the major east-west highway. |