Fire Industry News for August 2025

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) firefighters have cut the side of a car away to free the driver of a vehicle that collided with a bus in the morning in Sydney's inner west. The incident occurred just before 8 am on Victoria Road, Drummoyne. After hitting the bus, the car ploughed into a bus shelter, injuring a pedestrian. All 15 passengers on the bus were escorted to safety. NSW Ambulance Paramedics The pedestrian was treated by NSW Ambulance Paramedics before being taken to the hospital. The dri...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) investigators in Sydney's west have determined that materials left too close to a heater sparked a house fire, from which five people, including a newborn baby, narrowly escaped. More than a dozen firefighters responded to the blaze, which broke out in a bedroom within a granny flat on the property in Mala Street, Smithfield, just before 1:30 am. It took them more than 30 minutes to extinguish the flames. NSW Ambulance paramedics Two adults, from the flat, wer...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) firefighters are working to identify the cause of a blaze that has destroyed three boats at a marina at Church Point on Sydney's northern beaches. The fire broke out on board one of the vessels moored at the marina on McCarrs Point Road around 5 am. Flames spread from one boat to two others nearby. Crews managed to prevent the fire Crews managed to prevent the fire from spreading to at least 20 other vessel Six FRNSW trucks and 22 firefighters arrived at the...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews have saved a house and two pet rabbits from a possible Lithium battery fire this afternoon in Sydney's west. The blaze broke out around 2.40 pm in the garage of the home in Solander Road, Kings Langley. Two occupants made it safely out of the two-floor house and alerted firefighters about their pet bunnies, still inside. Team of firefighters As other fire crews averted flames from spreading throughout the dwelling, a team of firefighters As other fire crews...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) is using traditional cultural practices to reduce bushfire risk on the Far South Coast, an area devastated during the horrific ‘Black Summer’ crisis. The 2019-20 bushfire season was the state’s worst on record, with 26 people killed, nearly 2,500 homes destroyed, and more than five million hectares burnt-out. Hazard reduction efforts The site is home to a diverse range of native trees, plants, forest bird species, and insects During that period,...

Eight Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) firefighters have been honoured for their bravery, dealing with a life-threatening siege at Broken Hill, in the state’s far west. On 29 May last year, crews from FRNSW stations, 238 Broken Hill and 239 Broken Hill South, assisted NSW Police during a reported stand-off at a local home. Possibly armed, a man was allegedly barricaded inside the house, reportedly with children, during a domestic violence incident. Received Unit Commendations Police wer...

A Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crew from the state's Central Coast is proving an unstoppable force in the firefighting championships, blitzing the latest major event to again claim the silverware. 'Wyong A' notched up an impressive 1,235 points - 313 more than its closest competitor - at the event held in Parkes, in the Central West, at the weekend. Experienced team The experienced team also placed first in the 'Urban Pump Collector and Ladder', 'Booster Valve and High Rise Bag', 'Urban Pumper...

A number of hazard reduction burns are scheduled for the Greater Sydney Metropolitan, Hunter Valley areas. Smoke from these burns is likely to settle across residential areas for the coming days due to light forecast winds. It is expected that smoke will start to clear on Saturday afternoon, with any remaining smoke clearing during Sunday. Smoke from bushfires and hazard reduction burning can affect some people more than others. Asthma Action Plan NSW Health reminds people that children,...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) has called in a specialist aerial pumper to gain access to a fire in a garbage truck in Sydney's west now. FRNSW and other emergency services responded to numerous reports that a garbage truck was well alight on the intersection of Gipps St and the Great Western Highway in Claremont Meadows, just before midday. Quick action of firefighters The fire ignited in the cabin/engine area of the truck and spread quickly to the rubbish contained in the compactor. The q...

Staffordshire Police has improved in some of the ways it protects children, but it still needs to improve the quality of its investigations, a new report has found. His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) re-inspected the force in March 2023, after an initial inspection in 2021 found systemic failings and made 15 recommendations for improvement. Action plan to improve its services In the latest visit, inspectors found that Staffordshire Police...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) has rescued a cow, stuck up to its neck in thick mud, on a rural property in Sydney's west. The calf had wandered into the dam on Mamre Road, Kemps Creek, when it found itself unable to 'moo-ve' around 6 pm yesterday. A neighbor alerted the RSPCA, which requested the assistance of firefighters. Three FRNSW crews and the NSW Rural Fire Service responded, having to trudge more than 350 meters, with their heavy equipment and lighting in tow, to reach the animal. O...

Parkes is already famous for its role in the moon landing and its annual festival honouring the King of Rock and Roll – now the local Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crew is hoping to bring home another coveted crown. The local brigade is among those hoping to be declared ‘Best in the West’ as the Regional Firefighter Championships return to the historic Central West town this weekend. FRNSW crews from Region South Fifteen FRNSW teams will be out to prove their mettle across 11...

Specialist Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews have hit the slopes at Perisher Valley, in the Snowy Mountains, to test their preparedness for emergencies in difficult alpine terrain. FRNSW firefighters joined NSW Ambulance paramedics in a realistic training drill, in which they had to rescue an 'injured' skier from a dangerous icy slope. Over-snow firefighting appliance The over-snow firefighting appliance was used as an anchor at the top of the slope The over-snow firefighting appliance was u...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews have now rescued several family pets from a house fire at Cambridge Park, in Sydney's west. More than 30 firefighters and eight fire trucks responded to the blaze, which broke out in the laundry of the Guildford Road property just after 1:30 pm. cause of the incident The residents managed to escape before the flames spread, while firefighters retrieved three pet dogs that had become trapped inside. The fire took more than an hour to extinguish. The cause of...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) is carrying out a hazard reduction burn in the Southern Highlands now, taking advantage of favorable weather conditions to reduce the fuel load ahead of summer. Heavy rains and flooding since the devastating Black Summer bushfires of 2019/20 have accelerated the growth of rural grasslands, particularly west of the Great Dividing Range. They have also limited the window available for firefighting hazard reduction operations ahead of the fire season. FRNSW safegu...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) continues to work with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Cumberland Council to investigate a chemical spillage at Girraween, in Sydney's West. Firefighters initially responded to the incident on Mandoon Road at 1:30 pm yesterday afternoon, with an industrial complex evacuated by firefighters who observed yellow vapor emitting from drains. FRNSW Hazmat technicians were able to detect toxic chlorine gas coming from an isolated area on the site. Hazmat fire...

The efforts of Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) firefighters and an inbuilt fire wall have prevented a dangerous blaze from spreading from a restaurant to an adjoining real estate office in Baulkham Hills. Firefighters were called to the property on Old Northern Road just before midnight. On arrival, they were met by thick smoke that was billowing from the restaurant that had closed for the night. Fire in the kitchen area Firefighters broke into the building, locating an intense fire burning in th...

A Newcastle man has been forced to jump out a window to escape a fire, thought to have been started by a faulty Lithium battery-powered e-scooter. The blaze broke out in the lounge room of a home in Macquarie Street, Merewether, just after 11 pm last night, while the occupant was sleeping. A smoke alarm activated and was overheard by a neighbor, who managed to wake the man just in time and allow him to escape outside. Fire and Rescue NSW Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) deployed 24 firefighters...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) is responding to a major Hazmat incident at an industrial complex at Girraween, in Sydney's west. Thirty firefighters and eight fire trucks were called to the incident on Mandoon Road, just after 1:30 pm. Occupants of units within the industrial complex had originally reported explosions and yellow colored smoke emitting from a drain. Source of the smoke Firefighters, specializing in chemicals and wearing safety suits, moved through the buildings in the complex loo...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) has conducted a hazard reduction burn in the state's north, with another 40 planned across the state, ahead of what's expected to be a challenging fire season. 20 firefighters, including three FRNSW crews and three NSW Rural Fire Service crews, carried out the burn across 2.2 hectares of Mount Mutton at Uralla. It was focused on an area with a high fuel load and surrounded by homes and critical telecommunications infrastructure. Hazard reduction burn "By conducting...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews have rescued three ducklings that fell into a drain at Goonellabah, in the state's Northern Rivers. A postman was traveling on Rouse Road, near Pleasant Street, around 8 am, when he noticed the mother duck standing on the roadway. He then saw one car 'clip' the hen's leg, while the driver was swerving to avoid it. FRNSW firefighters FRNSW firefighters arrived on-scene to assist with accessing and removing the three ducklings from the drain The 'postie' safe...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) investigators suspect a fire that damaged a unit at Wentworthville, in Sydney's west, may have been sparked by an electric scooter. Twenty-eight firefighters and seven fire trucks were deployed to attack the blaze, which broke out in a ground-floor unit within the four-level complex in Lane Street, around 8:15 am. Three people inside the unit managed to escape before the flames took hold. One was treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics for smoke inhalation and later tran...

Police forces are effective in deploying firearms, and officers discharged weapons at only 0.02 per cent of armed operations in 2021-22, a new report has found. His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) found that there are good selection processes for firearms officers, and officers are well-trained and well-equipped.  However, the inspectorate said improvements need to be made in the selection and training of strategic and tactical firearm...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) has credited an automatic sprinkler for limiting the spread of a fire inside a major shopping center in Sydney's south-west. Around one thousand people were evacuated as the electrical blaze broke out in a shoe shop within the mall on Campbell Street, Liverpool, around 12 pm. FRNSW responded with 28 firefighters and seven fire trucks. Prior to their arrival, sprinklers within the building activated and doused the flames, containing the fire to the shop it started in...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews have extinguished a fire at a detention center at Villawood, in Sydney's west. More than 40 firefighters were called in to attack the '4th alarm' blaze, which broke out in the two-level facility on Birmingham Avenue around 11:20 am. Among the FRNSW resources deployed to the scene were three aerial pumpers, along with specialist HAZMAT and rescue crews. FRNSW firefighters During the early stages of the fire, three detainees on the top floor smashed windows an...

It’s the latest pride and joy in the engine bays at the Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) Station at Inverell – a new $530,000 Bushfire Tanker to protect the state’s north. The Isuzu multi-purpose four-wheel-drive is one of 18 new firefighting appliances being deployed across the state by FRNSW, in line with recommendations arising from the Inquiry into the 2019/20 ‘Black Summer’ bushfire disaster. It features a Compressed Air Foam System (CAFS), which combines foam and...

Hornsby Fire Station has received a new, state-of-the-art Aerial Platform to tackle high-rise emergencies in Sydney’s north. Valued at $2.5 million dollars, the high-tech appliance is one of four new Aerial Platforms purchased by Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW). The others will be stationed at Huntingwood in Sydney’s west, Miranda in the city’s south and on the Central Coast. Use a mix of foam and water The trucks use a mix of foam and water to extinguish fires faster t...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) investigators have determined that a faulty electric blanket was the cause of a fatal house fire last night at Yamba, on the state's north coast. Neighbors at the retirement village in Orion Drive carried a woman, believed to be 73 years old, out of the burning, single-level home just after 9 pm. Firefighters and NSW Ambulance Paramedics, at the front of the property, tried in vain to revive the unconscious woman, who had suffered smoke inhalation. Fire crews Fir...

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) investigators are assisting Police to determine the cause of a fatal house fire last night at Yamba, on the state's north coast. Just after 9 pm, fire crews from Yamba, Maclean, and Grafton were dispatched to the single-level house, within a retirement village in Orion Drive. wearing breathing apparatus NSW Ambulance paramedics performed CPR on the woman as fire crews As firefighters arrived, they saw a woman, believed to be 73-years-old, suffering smoke inhalatio...

A Fire and Rescue NSW crew from Wollongong is hell-bent on turning the tables when it competes in this week’s Australasian Road Rescue Organization (ARRO) Challenge in Adelaide. Along with Broken Hill and a combined Region South team, the Wollongong firefighters form one of three FRNSW crews chasing top honours in the national titles. Emergency services Wollongong finished second overall in 2022, narrowly losing to South Australia’s Metropolitan Fire Service (MFS), this year&rsquo...