WATCH | Major fire engulfs seven-storey building in Sydney: Over 100 firefighters battle towering flames

More than 100 firefighters battled towering flames and dense smoke from a fire in a seven-storey building that was spreading to adjacent buildings in central Sydney on Thursday (May 25).

"The building is starting to collapse, while the inferno is beginning to spread to several neighbouring buildings, including residential apartments," Fire and Rescue NSW said in a statement, as reported by AFP.

As pertheemergency services, more than 100 firemen with 20 fire trucks were "working to contain and extinguish the blaze" on Randle Street near the city's Central Station. At least one close vehicle has been destroyed by fire, they said.

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"The public is urged to avoid the area as firefighting operations continue," the fires service said.

Images circulating on social media show flames soaring almost as high as the skyscraper itself into the sky.

The building in Sydney’s Surry Hills district was an old hat factory and its conversion into a hotel was planned, according to a recent development application, saidcity authorities.

Emergency services believe the building was vacant when the blaze started.

"All you could feel when standing here was heat on your face from the flames," one witness told public broadcaster ABC News.

"And when they started to move us back, a car just in front of the building caught fire."

A witness claimed to have seen pieces of the flaming structure fall onto the sidewalk. Commuters were also impacted by the fire, which shuttered roads and halted light rail services.

“It was essentially a candlestick,” a resident who lives about 100 metres from the blaze told Guardian Australia.

“It was basically apocalyptic, there was ash falling everywhere, the embers were raining down,” he added.

NSW Fire and Rescue’s deputy commissioner for field operations, Jeremy Fewtrell stated at a press conference on Thursday that there was no evidence of any injuries to members of the public and that no one was in the structure at the time of the fire.

One fireman suffered minor burns to his arm and is being treated by NSW EMS personnel.

Fewtrell said he'd seen similar-sized flames before, but what made this one stand out was how rapidly it spread and how many additional buildings were nearby.

“The risk of further fire spread is a real concern [and] our firefighters have worked very hard to stop that,” he said.

“There were some fires in there that spread into the apartment buildings, and firefighters were able to extinguish those, preventing them from penetrating further into the buildings and causing significant damage there,” he added.

Adjacent buildings at risk

As the building is situated close to residential buildings and backs into a small alley, the apartments, as well as adjoining offices and companies, were evacuated.

Students taking their final exams at Sydney Dental Hospital were evacuated at around 4.15pm (local time).

Fewtrell said that once the fire is put out, an investigation will be carried out.

(With inputs from agencies)

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