House Fire at Greenacre
Published: 25th January 2006
At around 10.30 pm on Sunday 22 January 2006, the NSW Fire Brigades responded to Triple Zero calls to a house on fire in Greenacre. Three crews were immediately dispatched. The Bankstown crew arrived first and found a single level brick house heavily involved in fire. Another crew, a rescue unit and a ladder truck were sent to help, making 20 firefighters committed to this incident.
Having confirmed that the occupants had been accounted for, fire crews wearing air cylinders concentrated their efforts on containing the fire to prevent it from spreading further. As more resources arrived, firefighters consolidated their attack on the fire. However, a sudden pressure loss caused by a burst water main required crews to bolster water supplies by relay pumping from mains further afield.
To compound the firefighters’ difficulties the burst water main began to threaten other houses with inundation. Crews used portable pumps to keep the water levels down. A crew from Sydney Water shut the water off and made emergency repairs.
It took firefighters approximately an hour to extinguish the fire, which severely damaged the house. No other property was damaged by either fire or water.
The NSW Fire Brigades’ Fire Investigation and Research Unit is working in cooperation with the NSW Police to investigate the circumstances of the fire.
Contact Officer: Gordon Boath ph 0417 293 852.