Danger lurking in burnt out building

A burnt out building that was destroyed by a huge inferno in Sydney should be removed within weeks, according to demolition experts.

Sydney was thrown into chaos on Thursday when a massive fire razered through a seven-story building in Surry Hills just before evening peak hour.

It took more than 12 firefighters and 30 fire trucks to contain the blaze, which sent fireballs metres into the air and smoke plumes that could be seen kilometres away.

The first step in demolishing the site would be to test whether the inner materials contain asbestos, which could present a danger to workers, according to Super Demolition owner Jack Fatouleh.

“From the age of the building, it 100 per cent will be contaminated,” Mr Fatouleh said.

Despite the near certainty that the building was made of asbestos, the demolition expert assured the public there is little danger to passersby.

“Because it was already on fire, council and the fire brigade have already put water and liquid so the dust shouldn’t get in the air,” he said.

He said that SafeWork and the City of Sydney Council will get involved to ensure that the contaminated material to a landfill disposal facility.

“They will make sure the site is secure and will not fall apart before demolition workers get to work,” he said.

City of Sydney Council confirmed that they are still assessing the site before making a decision on how to proceed.

“The City is working with the NSW government to manage the impact of yesterday’s fire at 7-13 Randle Street,” a spokesperson said.

“Our building health and environment staff have been on site, working with emergency services, to assess the damage caused by the blaze and are currently establishing next steps.”

The interior of the building has been completely gutted with the external walls of the two remaining sides, however there are serious concerns from officials that these may collapse in coming days, complicating the demolition process.

The front and back walls of the building collapsed in the fire, however a strong wind could pull down the side walls, presenting a real danger to the public according to Fire and Rescue NSW Superintendent Adam Dewberry.

“A strong wind could bring them down, if it gets in the right direction … the corners are holding it up at the moment, but there’s every chance it could come down without notice.”

Onlookers watched in horror as entire brick walls crumbled to the ground below, covering the ground with debris.

Elizabeth Street and Randle Street remain cordoned off due to the risk that the unsecured walls pose.

“That‘s why we have such a tight exclusion zone for everyone, including firefighters in and around this area,” Superintendent Dewberry said.

“Those walls are too unsafe because if a brick hits you it will be severe injury or death. So that’s our main priority, safety first.”

In order to tackle the walls, Mr Fatouleh said that he expects that they will have to be “knocked down by hand up to a certain level” before it becomes safe.

He said after that, it would be time to bring in machines such as excavators to finish the job.

Despite the magnitude of the demolition job, Mr Fatouleh said that the whole process would take less than a month as those involved would want to remove the danger and return the city streets to normality.