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 transported to the hospital for further treatment.
FRNSW crews
FRNSW crews, using ladders, rescued another three people from the balconies of adjacent units affected by smoke. They were each checked over by paramedics, with one taken to the hospital. The blaze was extinguished, with firefighters remaining at the scene to clear smoke from the building and douse any hotspots.
Experts from FRNSW's Fire Investigation and Research Unit (FIRU) are now looking into where and how the fire started. At this stage, they believe a scooter, powered by a lithium battery, was left on charge inside the unit overnight and may have ignited.
