Risk hardware store fire could spread

FIREFIGHTERS battling a major blaze at a hardware store fear nearby buildings may be at risk.
 
The 30 metre by 50 metre building in Alexandria, in Sydney's south, had been completely gutted by fire this morning, with all windows blown out, and the walls were close to collapse.

It is believed the Swadling's Timber and Hardware building on Botany Road was not staffed when the fire broke out.

New South Wales Fire Commissioner Greg Mullins said the intense heat anticipated as the building collapsed could pose a threat to buildings to the east of the store.

"There's a bit of a threat in one sector that we're concerned about," Mr Mullins said.

"We're placing specialised equipment there and putting a lot of water into that area to stop it spreading to adjoining factories when the wall collapses - we're a bit concerned about the radiant heat."

Mr Mullins said he was confident firefighters would be able to contain the fire, although the brigade's presence had been increased to 20 fire crews and 100 firefighters.

He said firefighters first on the scene were chased out of the building by a violent "flashover" of fire.
"Firefighters arrived at around 6am (AEDT) to find a small fire in a section of the building," he said.

"When they gained entry, a flashover occurred and they were literally chased out of the building by flames.

"Now we have flames leaping 20 metres into the air above the building, which is totally engulfed in fire.

"This is going to take some hours to put out."

Mr Mullins said the hazardous materials inside the store had hastened the spread of the fire.

"There are highly volatile materials in there - tanks, thinners, pool chemicals, stacks of timber and LPG cylinders," Mr Mullins said.

"Because of the volatile contents the fire has spread very quickly from that northern section to engulf the entire building."

Mr Mullins says the fire brigade had no idea of the cause of fire or how long it had been going, but there were no suggestions it was suspicious.

He said road closures along Botany Road would remain in place all day and possibly into the night for fear of wall collapses.

"The risk to nearby residences had been negated, he said, and there was no need for evacuation, but the section of Botany Road on either side of the store would be closed for the day.

Swadling's employee Peter Bell has been a yard supervisor for the past five years and is the first person on the site every morning.

At 6.30am (AEDT) he had already opened the outside gate, put out the open sign, and let in another female employee before he noticed anything amiss.

Then he saw a half-metre thick band of smoke on top of the roof of the building and immediately called the fire brigade.

He says the noises he heard on the first floor of the northern end of the building at first sounded like an intruder.

"There was rumbling, popping, like someone was tripping up," Mr Bell said.

"At first I thought there was an intruder.

"Then I looked up and saw the smoke."

Mr Bell says it was fortunate none of the 33 or so employees of Swadling's were inside the store at the time.