Explosion shatters residential building at Lidcombe in Sydney's west
Emergency services swarmed the property on Clarence St in Lidcombe shortly after 6.30am on Friday, following reports of a loud blast at the building.
A NSW Ambulance spokesman said crews had been on scene since just before 7am, with two people taken to hospital.
A man in his 40s was transported to Westmead Hospital in a serious condition with burns to his hands and face.
That occupant is believed to have been found unconscious by firefighters and carried from the building.
A second man, aged in his 60s, was taken to Auburn Hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation.
All other residents of the complex are believed to be accounted for.
Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) Superintendent Adam Dewberry told reporters efforts would soon begin to recover pets and essential items including medication from the building.
Ten people self-evacuated from the unit block following the explosion.
At least four other unit blocks have been cleared as a precaution.
FRNSW are leading the response to the incident and are currently searching the building to make sure that all residents are accounted for.
A spokesperson for FRNSW confirmed that the explosion occurred in a unit on the second floor of the three-storey complex.
The double-brick wall of that unit and the adjoining unit was blown out.
Images from the scene show a car crushed with its back window shattered from the falling bricks.
Gas and power have been turned off at the scene to minimise any risk of further damage, and there is no fire currently at the scene.
Emergency services are not yet aware of what caused the explosion.
Specialist rescue operators are on the scene.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
2 minutes ago
- ABC News
Protesters disrupt Bisalloy Steel operations, opposing Israel exports
Protesters have disrupted operations at a Wollongong plant which makes armoured steel in an escalation of protest activity over exports to Israel. Up to 100 protesters used signs and camp equipment to block two main gates at Bisalloy Steel in Unanderra on Sunday night. Bisalloy Steel is Australia's only manufacturer of quenched and tempered steel plates suitable for armour applications. It has previously supplied Israeli arms company, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. Protesters said they were participating in the action because they believed Bisalloy's steel trade with Israel was aiding the Israeli Defence Force, making the company complicit in the killing of civilians. In a statement to the ABC, a Bisalloy spokesperson said the company only export its product "with the appropriate government approvals". "[Bisalloy] does not manufacture steel products for the use in bullets, missiles or similar weapons," it said. Protest organiser and Palestinian woman, Safaa Rayan, said anticipated shift change overs at 11pm and 7am did not proceed, with no workers attempting to access or leave the site. "It's now 7:02am," Ms Rayan said outside the factory on Monday. The company did not confirm if it altered planned work as a result of the protests. The protest came amid deteriorating conditions for Palestinians in Gaza recent weeks, with major aid agencies sounding the alarm about mass starvation, prompting Israel to open corridors for aid. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Sunday said Israel was "quite clearly" breaching international law. Bisalloy moved its annual general meeting online in October last year in response to the previous protests at its Unanderra site. In a video of the AGM posted online by financial journalist Stephen Mayne, Bisalloy Steel chief executive Rowan Melrose said sales to Israeli companies over the past three years made up between 0.6 and 1.9 per cent of the company's revenue. "I also will state that we do not manufacture steel for munitions," he told investors. The company did not confirm if it had existing contracts with Israeli companies, except to say its products were sold "both in Australia and internationally". Picket co-organiser Jeremy Kerbel, who last year was arrested during a sit-in at the site, said protesters were demanding the company cease trade with Israel. "A lot of people from across the Illawarra have come here to say that Bisalloy is doing the unthinkable — aiding a genocide — and we want them to stop," he said. The Israeli government has been facing genocide allegations brought by South Africa in the International Court of Justice, but strongly denied its actions in Gaza were genocidal. Arthur Truman and Nicole Milinkovic travelled from Campbelltown to attend the protest. "It was important for us to make even just the littlest bit of impact," Ms Milinkovic said. Long-time Wollongong resident Angela Scott camped out with her partner. She said it was her third time picketing the company. "I think this is the most important issue of our times," she said. Ms Rayan said she was proud of the community for continuing to apply pressure on the company. "I am so proud of my community for coming out, for supporting this picket, for standing with the people of Palestine in saying 'people over profits'," she said.
ABC News
2 minutes ago
- ABC News
Protestors disrupt Bisalloy Steel operations, opposing Israel exports
Protesters have disrupted operations at a Wollongong plant which makes armoured steel in an escalation of protest activity over exports to Israel. Up to 100 protesters used signs and camp equipment to block two main gates at Bisalloy Steel in Unanderra on Sunday night. Bisalloy Steel is Australia's only manufacturer of quenched and tempered steel plates suitable for armour applications. It has previously supplied Israeli arms company, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. Protesters said they were participating in the action because they believed Bisalloy's steel trade with Israel was aiding the Israeli Defence Force, making the company complicit in the killing of civilians. In a statement to the ABC, a Bisalloy spokesperson said the company only export its product "with the appropriate government approvals". "[Bisalloy] does not manufacture steel products for the use in bullets, missiles or similar weapons," it said. Protest organiser and Palestinian woman, Safaa Rayan, said anticipated shift change overs at 11pm and 7am did not proceed, with no workers attempting to access or leave the site. "It's now 7:02am," Ms Rayan said outside the factory on Monday. The company did not confirm if it altered planned work as a result of the protests. The protest came amid deteriorating conditions for Palestinians in Gaza recent weeks, with major aid agencies sounding the alarm about mass starvation, prompting Israel to open corridors for aid. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Sunday said Israel was "quite clearly" breaching international law. Bisalloy moved its annual general meeting online in October last year in response to the previous protests at its Unanderra site. In a video of the AGM posted online by financial journalist Stephen Mayne, Bisalloy Steel chief executive Rowan Melrose said sales to Israeli companies over the past three years made up between 0.6 and 1.9 per cent of the company's revenue. "I also will state that we do not manufacture steel for munitions," he told investors. The company did not confirm if it had existing contracts with Israeli companies, except to say its products were sold "both in Australia and internationally". Picket co-organiser Jeremy Kerbel, who last year was arrested during a sit-in at the site, said protesters were demanding the company cease trade with Israel. "A lot of people from across the Illawarra have come here to say that Bisalloy is doing the unthinkable — aiding a genocide — and we want them to stop," he said. The Israeli government has been facing genocide allegations brought by South Africa in the International Court of Justice, but strongly denied its actions in Gaza were genocidal. Arthur Truman and Nicole Milinkovic travelled from Campbelltown to attend the protest. "It was important for us to make even just the littlest bit of impact," Ms Milinkovic said. Long-time Wollongong resident Angela Scott camped out with her partner. She said it was her third time picketing the company. "I think this is the most important issue of our times," she said. Ms Rayan said she was proud of the community for continuing to apply pressure on the company. "I am so proud of my community for coming out, for supporting this picket, for standing with the people of Palestine in saying 'people over profits'," she said.
ABC News
2 minutes ago
- ABC News
Fourth Townsville police shooting since January prompts call for inquiry
Police have shot four people in Townsville in the past year, but the state's police union is resisting calls for a review into the way shootings are investigated. A 29-year-old man remains in a critical condition after being shot by officers in a shopping centre loading dock in the western Townsville suburb of Thuringowa Central on Sunday. Police said officers from the Special Emergency Response Team were called in as the man was wanted for alleged "serious criminal offences". However, Queensland Police did not share what those alleged offences were or the circumstances leading up to Sunday's shooting, as a police ethical standards investigation was underway. It comes after an officer shot and killed an armed man in the Townsville suburb of North Ward two weeks ago. Police also shot a 17-year-old girl in the abdomen after she allegedly threatened them with a knife in June, and a first-year police officer shot a man "experiencing a mental health episode" three times in January. The Queensland Council for Civil Liberties has repeated calls for a systematic review into police shootings. President Michael Cope said it was "simply not good enough" for the shootings to be referred to the Ethical Standards Command, which only reviewed individual incidents. "We accept that there unfortunately are circumstances in which police have to use their guns," he said. Mr Cope said a royal commission or the Crime and Corruption Commission could conduct such a review. "This may not be anything to do with police conduct, we just simply don't know what the causes are," he said. "It seems to me that any member of the public would want to know why police shootings in Queensland the last few years seem to have been extraordinarily high in comparison with the rest of the country." Queensland Police Union president Shane Prior said every police-involved shooting should be examined individually. "This just demonstrates that police are operating in a work environment that has never been as dangerous as it is right now," he said. "You need to look at each individual incident on its own merits. The fatal shooting in Townsville last week will be referred to the Queensland Coroner. In recent years, multiple people experiencing a mental health episode have been fatally shot by Townsville police, including the case of Steven Angus, who was shot dead hours after hospital discharge. A spokesperson for the Coroners Court of Queensland told the ABC last week it was in discussions with the Queensland Mental Health Commission and the Queensland Police Service about ways to examine systemic issues associated with police-related deaths. Queensland Police would not comment on whether the man shot in Townsville on Sunday was armed. But Mr Prior said the man shot did threaten officers. "I understand that he was hiding underneath a stairwell," he said. "It will be alleged that he made certain threats towards police when he was confronted." Mr Prior added that the male officer who fired the shot had five years' experience in the Special Emergency Response Team. Queensland Police media also declined to comment on the circumstances of the shooting. The Queensland Crime and Corruption Commission will have oversight of the Ethical Standards Command investigation.
