Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) News

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews have extinguished a stolen truck, set on fire, at Mount Hutton, a suburb of Lake Macquarie. A Tanker and Pumper from the Tingira Heights Fire Station rushed to Warners Bay Road at 9.30 last night and found the small, tray-top truck well alight. Firefighters doused the blaze and declared the scene safe within half an hour. Inquiries revealed the vehicle had been stolen, dumped, and set alight. No one was injured in the incident. NSW Police are now investiga...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews have led the response to a major grass fire near Nepean Rugby Park in Sydney's west. Just after midday, 15 crews from FRNSW and the Rural Fire Service (RFS) were called to the blaze at Hickeys Lane in Penrith, a remote location surrounded by an industrial complex. Firefighters immediately started work on containing the fire, which was rapidly moving in a northerly direction. Major visibility issues To assist the operation, a helicopter was used to waterb...

A Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) firefighter has received major national recognition for her efforts in protecting communities from fire, keeping up her important work even after losing her own house to a devastating blaze. Leading Firefighter, Erin Pogmore, a respected member of Liverpool Fire Station, in Sydney's south-west, has been awarded 'Officer of the Year' at the 2023 Rotary Emergency Services Community Awards (RESCA) involving paid and volunteer members from the ACT, NSW and Victoria. L...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews are mopping up after a large fire, which engulfed a building last night at Tweed Heads South, on the New South Wales and Queensland border. FRNSW and Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) deployed more than 40 firefighters and eight fire trucks when the blaze ignited a 'mixed use' site on Parkside Drive, around 7:45 pm. The fire initially impacted three storage units and a mezzanine platform before strong winds fanned flames through the entire stru...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews have successfully carried out an intricate operation to free a motorcyclist, whose leg was crushed by a tow truck in a crash at Rydalmere, in Sydney's west, this afternoon. The two vehicles and a car collided in the westbound lanes of Victoria Road, near Bridge Street, around 1:45 pm. Three FRNSW crews from the nearby Parramatta and Eastwood fire stations immediately responded. They located the motorcycle rider - a man in his 30s - trapped underneath the t...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews have carried out a critical series of hazard reduction burns ahead of the extreme fire conditions in parts of the state. A 13-hectare low-intensity burn has been conducted at Guyra, in the Northern Tablelands, to reduce the fuel loads across the eastern side of town. This is designed to protect homes on the urban-bush interface as well as an isolated property in the area. Other recent mitigation efforts Other recent mitigation efforts have focused on red...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews have saved an inner-city unit from an explosion and fire, sparked by a faulty Lithium-Ion e-bike battery. The FRNSW crew from Leichhardt was traveling near the city when it responded to a fire alarm In Yurong Street, Darlinghurst, around 11.20 am. Firefighters raced to the scene Joined by a Rescue Pumper from the City of Sydney station, firefighters raced to the scene, where smoke was issuing from a basement-level studio apartment The building's manager was...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews have stabilized a dangerous heat build-up at a thermal energy storage plant at Tomago, in the state's Hunter Valley. Crews were called to the facility in Laverick Avenue just after 5.15 this morning. Three employees made it to safety as authorities established an 800m exclusion zone and evacuated 15 neighboring businesses. Bulk Carbon Dioxide Tanker Firefighters called in a Bulk Carbon Dioxide Tanker from Sydney as they sprayed CO2 onto the 14x3m over-he...

Inspired by a firefighter’s own experience in caring for his mother with dementia, Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) is trialing the innovative use of smartphone technology and partnering with care providers to protect elderly and vulnerable people from house fires. The initiative relies on Quick Response (QR) codes – or two-dimensional matrix barcodes – which users can scan with their phone cameras to access fire safety resources. Identify potential fire hazards Fire crews will a...

Extraordinary CCTV footage, obtained by Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW), has captured the moment two backpackers were caught in a fireball when a Lithium-ion battery exploded inside a hostel at Darlinghurst, in inner Sydney. FRNSW deployed 22 firefighters and six fire trucks to Darlinghurst Road, where the blaze had broken out in a unit shortly after 9 am. It's suspected to have been sparked by a faulty e-bike battery left on charge. Security footage from a hallway shows one of the French national...

Extraordinary CCTV footage, obtained by Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW), has captured the moment two backpackers were caught in a fireball when a Lithium-ion battery exploded inside a hostel now at Darlinghurst, in inner Sydney. FRNSW deployed 22 firefighters and six fire trucks to Darlinghurst Road, where the blaze had broken out in a unit shortly after 9 am. It's suspected to have been sparked by a faulty e-bike battery left on charge. Security footage Security footage from a hallway shows...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) is urging NSW residents to check their smoke alarms following the death of a man after a fire broke out in his granny flat at Lurnea, in Sydney's south-west, last night. FRNSW crews were called around 10:30 pm to Wonga Road, near West Street, after neighbors initially reported a gas leak. It was later established that a small blaze had occurred at the property. The occupant, a man in his sixties, was found unconscious inside the premises and could not be revived. Ex...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews have extinguished a fire that damaged a grain silo at Condobolin, in the state's Central West, overnight. The blaze broke out around 8 pm in a loader vehicle, inside the concrete structure, at a major grain storage facility on Silo Road. NSW Rural Fire Service FRNSW quickly deployed eight firefighters and two fire trucks to the scene, including specialists in hazardous materials response. The NSW Rural Fire Service provided additional crews in support. They...

A Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crew became engaged in a real-life game of snakes and ladders now, trying to catch a slippery serpent on the loose in Sydney's south. The crew from Menai fire station was called to Gymea Bay Road around 8 am amid reports of a snake inside a house. Wildlife rescue organization FRNSW assists the WIRES wildlife rescue organization with snake-snaring missions in areas When firefighters arrived, the two-meter diamond python made a 'slither for it,' racing out of the...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) now is working to manage an asbestos risk after fire engulfed a factory at Canterbury, in Sydney's south-west, overnight. More than 70 firefighters and 25 fire trucks were deployed to the blaze, which broke out in a whitegoods business on Canterbury Road around 2:30 am. FRNSW mobilized trucks Fire crews attempted to enter the building but were quickly forced to retreat due to the dangerous conditions. Flames threatened to spread to an adjoining petrol station, wher...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) has joined forces with the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) to complete a major hazard reduction operation to protect homes at Cameron Park at Lake Macquarie. More than 40 FRNSW firefighters, in four pumper appliances and six water tankers, worked with RFS volunteers and council staff at the weekend to reduce built-up fuel in 38 hectares of bushland adjoining hundreds of homes and a network of transmission lines. Hazard reduction responsibility The RFS used a helicopte...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) investigators are returning to the scene of a garage explosion in Sydney's south-west to try to establish a cause. Around 3:15 pm yesterday, more than 30 firefighters were called to Maclaurin Avenue, East Hills, where a fire had broken out in a villa, triggering several small blasts. Neighbors rescued the occupant, an 89-year-old woman, and alerted emergency services. FRNSW crews A larger explosion occurred as FRNSW crews arrived at the scene and approached the im...

A garage has exploded into flames at East Hills, in Sydney's south-west, with multiple Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews bringing the situation under control. More than 30 firefighters and eight fire trucks were deployed around 3:15 pm to Maclaurin Avenue, where a fire had broken out in a villa. As firefighters approached the property, which is in a complex situated behind several homes, an explosion occurred within the garage. Significant damage The blast caused significant damage to the st...

Fire crews have successfully completed a hazard reduction operation to protect vital infrastructure and homes at Forster, on the state's mid-north coast. Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) firefighters from Forster, Taree, Gloucester, and Coffs Harbour, supported by several Rural Fire Service (RFS) units, conducted a fuel reduction burn over about six hectares of Boundary Street Hill late last week. Remotely Piloted Aircraft System The crews were tasked with reducing the heavy fuel load in the bush...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) investigators are working with NSW Police to establish what sparked a fire in an abandoned home at Marrickville, in Sydney's inner west. More than 30 firefighters and 12 fire trucks responded to the blaze in Hilltop Avenue just after 5:30 pm yesterday. They quickly arrived on-scene to find the home already engulfed in flames and parts of the timber structure collapsing. Fire Investigation and Research Unit A number of surrounding homes came under threat. FRNSW...

A Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crew has ruled out 'fowl play' after safely retrieving six wayward ducklings from a drain at Lake Macquarie. A family of eight ducks was waddling along Melroy Drive at Mount Hutton around 2.15 this afternoon when it encountered a large drainage grate. Mum and Dad duck safely made it across, but their offspring fell between the quacks, dropping about three meters to the water below. FRNSW crew A FRNSW crew from 505 station, Tingira Heights, responded to the scene...

A passer-by has raised the alarm during a house fire, caused by a faulty Lithium-Ion battery, used to power an e-scooter, at Temora, in the state's Riverina. The local Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crew rushed to the Loftus Street home around 9 am on Monday. Moments earlier, the neighborhood friend was driving past the house when he noticed the flames engulfing a storeroom on the property. He stopped his vehicle and ran to the front door to warn his friend. Minor smoke inhalation The FRNSW crew...

Multiple Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews, including experts in hazardous materials, have helped the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) extinguish a fire that engulfed a service station in the state's Riverina. The blaze quickly tore through the main shopfront on the Hume Highway, Coolac, just after 10 pm, and threatened to spread to an adjoining awning and nearby petrol bowsers and gas cylinders. How to safely attack the flames FRNSW responded with fire crews from Cootamundra and Gundagai, along...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews have played a major role in a hazard reduction burn to protect Warragamba Dam, west of Sydney, and its nearby township from the threat of bushfires. FRNSW was tasked by Water NSW with establishing controlled burns and containment lines along the front of the 25-hectare zone around Sydney's primary water catchment. Ignite the hazard reduction fire A helicopter was used to drop incendiary devices into the bush to safely ignite the hazard reduction fire A helic...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) has carried out a major hazard reduction burn, eliminating the threat of a large grassland fire on the edge of Denman, in the state’s upper Hunter. FRNSW has responsibility for hazard reduction operations where bushland meets built-up areas across the state. NSW Rural Fire Service In this operation, FRNSW teamed up with the NSW Rural Fire Service to burn 40 hectares of grassland on the western outskirts of the township, known as Denman Common. FRNSW Bushfire...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews have visited 280 homes in Lithgow in the state's Central Tablelands, providing crucial home fire safety advice to dozens of grateful households. Firefighters from Lithgow, Lithgow West and Leura Fire Stations recorded 141 engagements with locals, offering advice about smoke alarm installation, cooking and barbecue safety and proper Lithium battery disposal.  They tested dozens of smoke alarms and installed 35 units free of charge in homes where the device...

They carried stranded elderly residents in their dressing gowns through floodwaters at night, provided shelter and vital supplies for isolated townships, responded to life and death medical emergencies and even rescued a dog trapped five metres up a tree. Now, the heroic actions of Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) firefighters during the Northern Rivers floods of 2022 will be recognized during a special ceremony tonight at the Ballina Fire Station. There are firefighters been nominated for their ac...

Senior firefighters are planning to recommend medical staff and members of the public for commendations, following an overnight fire in a ward at Lithgow Hospital in the state's Central Tablelands. Around 11.45 last night, Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews from Lithgow and Lithgow West fire stations responded to an alarm at the hospital. Crisis ward for smoke inhalation Fire crews located a small fire in an inpatient ward bed and quickly extinguished the flames When the firefighters arrived,...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) investigators have identified an electrical fault in a small fan heater as the cause of an explosion overnight in an industrial unit at Arndell Park in Sydney's west. The blast tore a hole in a wall on the second level of the truck spare parts business in Holbeche Road around 1.30 this morning. fire from spreading FRNSW dispatched seven fire trucks and about 24 firefighters to the scene. On arrival, the firefighters were confronted with an intense fire venting...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) is urging the public not to become complacent about home fire dangers now that winter has passed. There were 930 residential fires across the state during spring last year and FRNSW reminds the public not to drop its guard during the warmer weather. FRNSW to remind householders No fewer than 369 or 40% of last spring’s fires started in kitchens or cooking areas, prompting FRNSW to remind householders to invest in a fire extinguisher, a fire blanket, and worki...