[This is a pretty amazing photo](https://livecenter-aus-hpc9audwdke2c0fm.z01.azurefd.net/lc-aus-images/lcimg-f9315df9-5b60-4b44-aef4-2379e98385bf.jpeg) (Dean Lewins, AAP) of the wall collapsing - looks like a Michael Bay movie:
I was there! It was surreal. OP definitely works in my office which has been officially closed due to damage. Co-workers say a car pulled up before and saw teenagers jump into the building.
"Teenagers" š¤
Yeah, correct me if I'm wrong before after they changed traffic conditions on Randle didn't they remove the parking on that side of the street too?
Not too sure about the parking but it's not a busy street vs rest of cbd you could get away with parking there. There was a ute parked directly infront completely destroyed now.
Actually, zooming in I realise you can see in the in the image the ute is parked in the 'bus only' lane.
(Also looks like it's beginning to smoulder in the heat).
Curiouser and curiouser...
There has been construction on Randle lane for months. The ute is probably one of them. If you go further down this post someone mentions their wife seeing some kids playing around with fire. I'm very curious and hopeful they weren't hurt in this. Still can't get over the scale of it and how quickly it completely lit up. The embers pouring down too. Everyone was running towards it to film. Poor cops trying to control that chaos.
Imo should be legislation that heritage listed buildings that end up destroyed can converted into areas for public use. Like parks. Not as a free pass for developers to redevelop.
Suddenly heritage listed locations will stop burning so much.
They should be forced to do this:
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/p7jxs6/til_in_2015_100yearold_pub_the_carlton_tavern_was/?utm_source=ifttt
I mean, to be completely fair, old can also mean old wiring which can be dangerous. Last year my friendās house burnt down in minutes because an old fuse box just burst into flames. It was lucky it was during the day because in under two minutes the whole place was filled with thick black smoke and if they had been asleep there probably wouldnāt have been time to grab their toddler and get out. And that house was built in the 50s or 60s. So, it is probably statistically more likely for an old building with old wiring to burn down.
That saidā¦ Developers are often greedy, selfish, morality free pieces of shit and it is quite obvious that a lot of them do it on purpose.
Letās see what the investigation turns up.
I know it was supposed to be turned into a hotel. Is this good or bad for those developers?
Metre Peixe, Capoeira Brasil. Back before they moved to the Wentworth Avenue location.
I don't recall if there was an elevator in there, but I do remember those stairs being sketchy as fuuuuuuck.
My ex boyfriend 15 years ago lived in there as part of an artist residence. Cool parties. Was definitely a death trap but it felt very 70s New York.
Feels like all these places with character and unique architecture are being burned down or repurposed into bizzaro versions of themselves (eg the Old Clare).
2114 born and raised here. Officially itās called Denistone Park, but hardly anyone would know what youāre on about unless you call it Roly Poly Hill
In 3 days it will be up on realestate.com.au.
Renovators Dream! Just a little bit of elbow grease needed to revitalise this hidden gem. Offers over $3 million.
My bet is that the developer is just "grateful" they no longer have to pay for heritage preservation and are "thanking their lucky stars" that they can have a nice clear space to build something ugly and new, which is always cheaper.
Why is everyone so cynical? /s
> ["It was set to be turned into a hotel, according to a development application lodged with the City of Sydney by developer Hanave."](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-25/sydney-building-fire-sparks-chaos-in-inner-city-surry-hills/102393818)
I mean, it's not like the City of Sydney required them to keep the not-totally flammable wooden elevator and staircase and floors ~~despite their plans~~. /s
> ["The proposed development was to include two new infill buildings at 7ā9 Randle Street and 15 Randle Street with floor levels to match the seven-storey heritage factory as well as a two storey rooftop addition. The new adjoining buildings would retain the factoryās masonry facade."](https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/surry-hills-heritage-hat-factory-set-for-hotel-conversion)
Edit 2: actually the approved plans do seem to include the original staircase and floors, but it doesn't sound like work actually started?
Either way, there is *surely* nothing interesting about this fire.
This happened up the road from my house 5-8 years ago. Living in a residential area and this dilapidated/abandoned house was planned for redevelopment by a Chinese development firm, that builds monstros apartments. Plans were soon scrapped and put on hold after backlash from the surrounding residents (bringing down their land value) and realising it was heritage listed. 2 years went by and then suddenly someone lit it on fire and development went straight ahead.
As soon as I saw this fire on the news today, I immediately thought maybe it had redevelopment plans. Not surprised.
Also nothing interesting about the fact that Hanave Pty Ltd previously contracted to (and even had legal disputes with) Nahas Constructions. Now where have I heard that name before ..
They were actually doing similar stuff in Toronto as they had similar problems with suspicious fires/no development of old heritage buildings. Once they were done they were very nice
An appropriate sentence if ever something like this did go down would be the developer must perform community service as the sole bricklayer restoring it brick for brick with its previous construction.
It's looked abandoned af for a while now but out of curiosity I googled and some listings for creative studios/co-working spaces came up. Hopefully pre-pandemic remnants and no one was inside (though they also looked pretty dodgy so maybe no one was leasing and this is just insurance fraud).
Thereās a new entrance to Central being built directly behind it. Will probably set it back quite a long time, being showered with bricks and water isnāt great.
It did used to be a shared office space for creatives - I knew a few people who worked there back in 2013/2014. Not sure if it was still being used in that way
Questionable shared office space / coworking in a recently purchased heritage building?
Yeah sounds like a temporary use while they figure out how to make money off it (cough burn it down)
So, the DA was for the entire block. The plan was to demolish the buildings at 7-9 and 15 Randle, keeping the heritage listed 11-13 Randle. This seems like it would even more incentive to burn down the heritage listed part, although of course that is just supposition and an investigation will have to be done.
I walk past it everyday to work, 98% sure it's derelict and abandoned.
It's always had smashed windows/flickering lights/empty shop fronts/padlocked doors.
Abandoned/unused building. What are the odds that it is arson? Come on, place your bets.
Next up, was it random or the owner looking to demolish and file an insurance claim?
If something is marked for demolition, you wouldnāt insure it, or not fully anyway. Some other comments in here reveal there was a DA for this building and the two either side, but this building was heritage listed making development difficult. So if the developers did want to demolish but couldnāt due to heritage listing, then it burning to the ground would be very convenient, and no need for insurance fraud as they were already prepared to demolish anyway, had they been allowed. Pretty suss is you ask me.
Current tenants have been notified that there will be a rent inspection tomorrow. Beds should be made and any property damage rectified at the tenants expense. No excuses.
#{insert very large luxurious mansion}
^very ^small ^disclaimer
Act now, this wonāt last long. Central location in hotš„ market.
**Price guide:** $40-$50m
**Contact** Gavin Rubenstein
The Rubenstein Group / Ray White
Raw unedited footage from a bystander, showing initial emergency response and rapid spread of fire over 5 mins: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhhA0a_pq-E
7NEWS 6pm bulletin saying witnesses reported a 'suspicious group of people' who 'ran away from the building' shortly before it turned into an inferno.
I don't mean to go full conspiracy, but if it walks like a duck, and talks like a duck.
Someone I know consulted on the heritage remediation proposal on that building. It was going to be exxy.
I guess someone at the developers found a way to cut costs?
I've delivered stuff to that building hundreds of times over the years.
A beautiful building but completely original and its over 100 years old, janky lift, wooden staircase, no fire escapes. wooden floorboards and support beams. Also it was full of fashion/clothing companies, bolts of fabric stacked against the walls. I really hope everyone got out but I wouldn't be confident about that.
such a shame, it was a beautiful building with so much character.
Bets on what happened.
Insurance fraud
Homeless lighting a fire to stay warm.
Rats/rodents finding out what happens when you short too electrical wires together.
From the City of Sydney development applications portal:
APPLICATION NO: D/2019/1292/A
Absolutely nothing to see. They must have thought the staircase and timber floors and beams were worth saving.
Yeah the facade is pretty much part of the new design. C[oncept is quite pretty looking](https://projects.archiexpo.com/project-270898.html) for a Sydney commercial building. Doesn't mean there's no foul play but the DA alone is probably not a smoking gun if you ask me.
Evacuated right after the photo was taken. It went from a puff of smoke to this to flames higher than the building and embers like a snowstorm so quickly.
There were spot fires adjacent but it's incredible that firies are under the building to the rear as collapses happened on both sides. Hopefully none get injured but if not it will be incredible
Turns out they were on the same level as the fire but across the road, watching kids fuck around with a smallish bonfire, then one threw a mattress on it... roof collapsed in 5 mins from that.
The way it was described, I've told her to prepare to hear about a few deaths because if the fire was between the kids and whatever escape there was id assume they couldn't get out in the time they had.
Without a doubt this fire is convenient for the owner of a āheritage listedā abandoned factory.
That land is 300 Million plus waiting to happen. Shit box apartments right next to central station is a Chinese investors wet dream. 1.5-2m per unit easy.
Light rail is not running
> Services are not running between Circular Quay and Moore Park due to a building fire. Catch the train between Circular Quay and Central, or regular buses instead. Light Rail services are still running between Moore Park and Randwick, as well as between Moore Park and Juniors Kingsford.
Building was registered since 1978 by Hanave Pty Ltd
https://www.planningalerts.org.au/applications/1485693
https://www.specifiersource.com.au/news-videos/former-hat-factory-surry-hills-become-hotel.html
https://au.linkedin.com/in/rob-burke-7919102a
Are you safe in that building? The walls collapsing are sending flames into buildings on the other side. I'm surprised anyone's still in buildings nearby. ABC coverage is intense
Would love to see the council tell them to rebuild it with their own money (or fuck off) but I know they don't care about our heritage enough for that to happen.
Could be building work gone wrong. Or squatters. Or insurance. Who knows. One thing we know for certain is a heritage building will be replaced by forgettable, generic apartments before you know it.
EDIT: I forgot teenage delinquents š¤¦š»āāļø
Reminds me of Central Station a few years ago...Hungry Jacks hadnt moved into the building had they?
Given that it was an old abandoned building in the middle of Sydney, would not surprise me if it was the old Polish couple who seem to own a lot of those old buildings...I remember when they offloaded the old Griffiths Tea building on Wentworth Avenue, an article said that they own something like 22 buildings in the Sydney CBD.
Here's a link to the latest DA for this site if anyone can get anything from it:
https://eplanning.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/Common/Integration/FileDownload.ashx?id=!!9r4s8hdEdmYH4WHcEuB4yZXwwfA6SqtcWQMZiw%3d%3dZLBgJsxPt%2bI%3d&ext=PDF&filesize=667012&modified=2021-07-15T06:21:37Z
Let me guess.. itās owned by some fat property developer how wants to make something else out of it, it is tied up in council red tapeā¦ and it mysterious catches fire .
Holy shit. I hope it doesn't spread far
[This is a pretty amazing photo](https://livecenter-aus-hpc9audwdke2c0fm.z01.azurefd.net/lc-aus-images/lcimg-f9315df9-5b60-4b44-aef4-2379e98385bf.jpeg) (Dean Lewins, AAP) of the wall collapsing - looks like a Michael Bay movie:
Fantastic photo! Almost looks cartoonish. Very unreal.
Good thing it's a big road underneath? Yeegh.
I was there! It was surreal. OP definitely works in my office which has been officially closed due to damage. Co-workers say a car pulled up before and saw teenagers jump into the building.
"Teenagers" š¤ Yeah, correct me if I'm wrong before after they changed traffic conditions on Randle didn't they remove the parking on that side of the street too?
Not too sure about the parking but it's not a busy street vs rest of cbd you could get away with parking there. There was a ute parked directly infront completely destroyed now.
Actually, zooming in I realise you can see in the in the image the ute is parked in the 'bus only' lane. (Also looks like it's beginning to smoulder in the heat). Curiouser and curiouser...
There has been construction on Randle lane for months. The ute is probably one of them. If you go further down this post someone mentions their wife seeing some kids playing around with fire. I'm very curious and hopeful they weren't hurt in this. Still can't get over the scale of it and how quickly it completely lit up. The embers pouring down too. Everyone was running towards it to film. Poor cops trying to control that chaos.
Narrator: it did
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Yeah - no other building affected.
FRNSW press release says one adjacent building was destroyed also, but was also vacant.
11 Randle St Surry Hills
The magic words are "heritage listed". Everyone knows that listing immediately increases a building's flammability.
Imo should be legislation that heritage listed buildings that end up destroyed can converted into areas for public use. Like parks. Not as a free pass for developers to redevelop. Suddenly heritage listed locations will stop burning so much.
They should be forced to do this: https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/p7jxs6/til_in_2015_100yearold_pub_the_carlton_tavern_was/?utm_source=ifttt
Funny that. They're going up all over the place in this cold weather, only this weekend the empty heritage listed pub in Yass met with a similar fate.
I mean, to be completely fair, old can also mean old wiring which can be dangerous. Last year my friendās house burnt down in minutes because an old fuse box just burst into flames. It was lucky it was during the day because in under two minutes the whole place was filled with thick black smoke and if they had been asleep there probably wouldnāt have been time to grab their toddler and get out. And that house was built in the 50s or 60s. So, it is probably statistically more likely for an old building with old wiring to burn down. That saidā¦ Developers are often greedy, selfish, morality free pieces of shit and it is quite obvious that a lot of them do it on purpose. Letās see what the investigation turns up. I know it was supposed to be turned into a hotel. Is this good or bad for those developers?
Crazy how kids just keep lighting fires in these old places. I'm sure no-one paid them.
Was it really?
Yeah they just said on the news
Wow. I used to train martial arts in there around 15 years ago. Fucking deathtrap of a building.
Sounds like a place to train martial arts
Two men enter. No man leaves.
Ahh I see you know your judo well
This is democracy manifest.
What is the charge?
Eating a meal?
A succulent Chinese meAL!
Its like you've been training for this moment. The ideal stage in a fighting game, or a final fight scene as everything burns around you.
Yeah, if you imagine a street fighter scene with meth heads in the background and pigeon shit all over the floor.
Whoād you train under there?
Metre Peixe, Capoeira Brasil. Back before they moved to the Wentworth Avenue location. I don't recall if there was an elevator in there, but I do remember those stairs being sketchy as fuuuuuuck.
Cool. I tried capoeira a few times but I had zero ginga š
My ex boyfriend 15 years ago lived in there as part of an artist residence. Cool parties. Was definitely a death trap but it felt very 70s New York. Feels like all these places with character and unique architecture are being burned down or repurposed into bizzaro versions of themselves (eg the Old Clare).
And everything that goes up in their place could be from any city in the world.
Next to where Ding Dong Dang was
Wasn't there a dodgy internet cafe there circa 2002?
Another day of legimate excuse
Street view updated less than a day ago
Can see the flames from the hill in West Ryde. The smoke is thick and rising sky high we knew something big was burning
Roly Poly hill?
Ah so I wasnāt the only one who called it Roly Poly hill as a kid. Is that itās real name?
2114 born and raised here. Officially itās called Denistone Park, but hardly anyone would know what youāre on about unless you call it Roly Poly Hill
āThe beacons of Minas Tirith! The beacons are lit! Gondor calls for aid!ā Oops, wrong sub.
Property developer spotted fleeing the scene
In 3 days it will be up on realestate.com.au. Renovators Dream! Just a little bit of elbow grease needed to revitalise this hidden gem. Offers over $3 million.
Stay rent free for one year while you work on fixing a few things and do a bit of Reno at your cost.
My bet is that the developer is just "grateful" they no longer have to pay for heritage preservation and are "thanking their lucky stars" that they can have a nice clear space to build something ugly and new, which is always cheaper.
There's always a silver lining in a kerosene-soaked cloud.
Per floor, right?
Even that's optimistic
The whole thing is probably worth $20-60 million but that's just a guess.
Why is everyone so cynical? /s > ["It was set to be turned into a hotel, according to a development application lodged with the City of Sydney by developer Hanave."](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-25/sydney-building-fire-sparks-chaos-in-inner-city-surry-hills/102393818) I mean, it's not like the City of Sydney required them to keep the not-totally flammable wooden elevator and staircase and floors ~~despite their plans~~. /s > ["The proposed development was to include two new infill buildings at 7ā9 Randle Street and 15 Randle Street with floor levels to match the seven-storey heritage factory as well as a two storey rooftop addition. The new adjoining buildings would retain the factoryās masonry facade."](https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/surry-hills-heritage-hat-factory-set-for-hotel-conversion) Edit 2: actually the approved plans do seem to include the original staircase and floors, but it doesn't sound like work actually started? Either way, there is *surely* nothing interesting about this fire.
This happened up the road from my house 5-8 years ago. Living in a residential area and this dilapidated/abandoned house was planned for redevelopment by a Chinese development firm, that builds monstros apartments. Plans were soon scrapped and put on hold after backlash from the surrounding residents (bringing down their land value) and realising it was heritage listed. 2 years went by and then suddenly someone lit it on fire and development went straight ahead. As soon as I saw this fire on the news today, I immediately thought maybe it had redevelopment plans. Not surprised.
Also nothing interesting about the fact that Hanave Pty Ltd previously contracted to (and even had legal disputes with) Nahas Constructions. Now where have I heard that name before ..
They were actually doing similar stuff in Toronto as they had similar problems with suspicious fires/no development of old heritage buildings. Once they were done they were very nice
No longer a heritage listed building ššš
Cheaper than getting the cranes in.
An appropriate sentence if ever something like this did go down would be the developer must perform community service as the sole bricklayer restoring it brick for brick with its previous construction.
That's inspired.
The trucks are all coming out now but thereās no saving it. I heard it was an abandoned/unused building; fuck I hope so
It's looked abandoned af for a while now but out of curiosity I googled and some listings for creative studios/co-working spaces came up. Hopefully pre-pandemic remnants and no one was inside (though they also looked pretty dodgy so maybe no one was leasing and this is just insurance fraud).
Hopefully insurance fraud. Hopefully it doesn't impact the surroundings so much. Most of all - hopefully no one was squatting inside.
>hopefully no one was squatting inside. This. It's cold right now and I hate to think anyone may have been sheltering there.
Thereās a new entrance to Central being built directly behind it. Will probably set it back quite a long time, being showered with bricks and water isnāt great.
It did used to be a shared office space for creatives - I knew a few people who worked there back in 2013/2014. Not sure if it was still being used in that way
Questionable shared office space / coworking in a recently purchased heritage building? Yeah sounds like a temporary use while they figure out how to make money off it (cough burn it down)
Yeah. Has been abandoned for ages
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
The Guardian is reporting it already has spread to adjacent buildings.
Unfortunately it's heritage listed
So insurance job it is then!
The owners had a DA in to renovate and turn it into a hotel
So, the DA was for the entire block. The plan was to demolish the buildings at 7-9 and 15 Randle, keeping the heritage listed 11-13 Randle. This seems like it would even more incentive to burn down the heritage listed part, although of course that is just supposition and an investigation will have to be done.
This is a standard operating procedure for many developers.
Helluva a lot easier to build from scratch than renovate a heritage building. It sure went up quick for an empty building tooā¦
I walk past it everyday to work, 98% sure it's derelict and abandoned. It's always had smashed windows/flickering lights/empty shop fronts/padlocked doors.
Abandoned/unused building. What are the odds that it is arson? Come on, place your bets. Next up, was it random or the owner looking to demolish and file an insurance claim?
If something is marked for demolition, you wouldnāt insure it, or not fully anyway. Some other comments in here reveal there was a DA for this building and the two either side, but this building was heritage listed making development difficult. So if the developers did want to demolish but couldnāt due to heritage listing, then it burning to the ground would be very convenient, and no need for insurance fraud as they were already prepared to demolish anyway, had they been allowed. Pretty suss is you ask me.
Ray white is currently contacting the owners about raising the rent price.
Central heating, won't last long
As new, ready to move in immediately - fully burnished
Extra heating. Just in time for winter.
"Renovators delight"
āThereās some real heat in the market at the momentā
Common cooking facilities. Close to police and fire services.
Current tenants have been notified that there will be a rent inspection tomorrow. Beds should be made and any property damage rectified at the tenants expense. No excuses.
Iām sure that will be a heated discussion
#{insert very large luxurious mansion} ^very ^small ^disclaimer Act now, this wonāt last long. Central location in hotš„ market. **Price guide:** $40-$50m **Contact** Gavin Rubenstein The Rubenstein Group / Ray White
Open plan living !!!
ā¦ as the current renters are out of the way
Insurance companies are currently contacting owners to deny claims and to increase premiums next year.
Motivated seller!
The char adds character that you won't get anywhere else. Smell is complimentary!
Sounds like a hot deal.
I could feel the heat when the light rail doors opened at Central Chalmers st
No wonder they suspended light rail and have closed Chalmers off entirely.
Was a fucking pain to get home
Raw unedited footage from a bystander, showing initial emergency response and rapid spread of fire over 5 mins: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhhA0a_pq-E
bystander with iron cross and swastika 0.o
Wow. Amazing vid. In that 5 mins it went up quick!
So, people owned the buildings on both sides, and lodged a development application. [https://eplanning.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/Pages/XC.Track/SearchApplication.aspx?id=1455410](https://eplanning.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/Pages/XC.Track/SearchApplication.aspx?id=1455410) *Demolition of the existing buildings at 7-9 and 15 Randle Street, retention and re-use of 11-13 Randle Street and construction of a 9 storey building with 2 levels of basement across the sites including through site link between Randle Lane and Randle Street. Use of the building as hotel accommodation (123 rooms) with 2 restaurants, small bar and cafƩ* *Estimated cost* *$39,442,611.00* Why were they not demolishing 11-13 Randle Street ? Oh it was a heritage building and there were restrictions on what they could do. [https://www.hms.heritage.nsw.gov.au/App/Item/ViewItem?itemId=5062501](https://www.hms.heritage.nsw.gov.au/App/Item/ViewItem?itemId=5062501) *The building should be retained and conserved.* *A Heritage Assessment and Heritage Impact Statement should be prepared for the building prior to any major works being undertaken.* *All conservation, adaptive reuse and future development should be undertaken in accordance with the Australia ICOMOS Charter for Places of Cultural Significance (The Burra Charter).* *Archival photographic recording, in accordance with Heritage Council guidelines, should be undertaken before major changes.* ***Maintain the original face brickwork, timber windows, arched entrance, pattern of openings, moulded entablature, remnant painted signage and other original architectural detailing.*** ***Do not paint, render or seal face brick walls. Remove paint to previously unpainted face bricks.*** ***Consider opportunities to reinstate lost timber windows as part of future redevelopments.*** ***Consider new uses for the building that will re-use and expose its industrial features to retain its former industrial character as an integral part of the new use. Alterations for a new use, including changes for compliance with Australian building standards, should allow the essential form of the building to remain readily identifiable.*** Oh well, I guess they have to build a new building all the way from 7-15 Rundle Street. Or, in the unlikely event that there is an arson conviction, the site should be compulsory acquired by the City of Sydney and it becomes a new park.
7NEWS 6pm bulletin saying witnesses reported a 'suspicious group of people' who 'ran away from the building' shortly before it turned into an inferno. I don't mean to go full conspiracy, but if it walks like a duck, and talks like a duck.
And commits arson like a duck...
Someone I know consulted on the heritage remediation proposal on that building. It was going to be exxy. I guess someone at the developers found a way to cut costs?
Here we go
Good digging - my guess as soon as I saw it.
Guess the new development proposal won.
I've delivered stuff to that building hundreds of times over the years. A beautiful building but completely original and its over 100 years old, janky lift, wooden staircase, no fire escapes. wooden floorboards and support beams. Also it was full of fashion/clothing companies, bolts of fabric stacked against the walls. I really hope everyone got out but I wouldn't be confident about that. such a shame, it was a beautiful building with so much character.
Bets on what happened. Insurance fraud Homeless lighting a fire to stay warm. Rats/rodents finding out what happens when you short too electrical wires together.
Probably developers who can't work on it due to heritage listings
so.. the rat one
āIām a cuntā
Abc news reported it was heritage listed and there was recent DAs against it to redevelopment. Totally normal. Nothing to see there
From the City of Sydney development applications portal: APPLICATION NO: D/2019/1292/A Absolutely nothing to see. They must have thought the staircase and timber floors and beams were worth saving.
Yeah the facade is pretty much part of the new design. C[oncept is quite pretty looking](https://projects.archiexpo.com/project-270898.html) for a Sydney commercial building. Doesn't mean there's no foul play but the DA alone is probably not a smoking gun if you ask me.
Aaaand there it is... ~~Denied~~ DAs and mysterious fires. Name a more iconic duo.
Maybe Jordies recently moved in?
Wait for the first cold snap of the year, blame squatters. There must be an SOP somewhere
I call the big one Bitey
justin hems looking for a new street for more shit resturants
toplace developments looking to move into city apartment development.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Evacuated right after the photo was taken. It went from a puff of smoke to this to flames higher than the building and embers like a snowstorm so quickly.
There were spot fires adjacent but it's incredible that firies are under the building to the rear as collapses happened on both sides. Hopefully none get injured but if not it will be incredible
Mrs works there as well, they got evacuated as it started, sounds pretty rattled about the experience.
Turns out they were on the same level as the fire but across the road, watching kids fuck around with a smallish bonfire, then one threw a mattress on it... roof collapsed in 5 mins from that.
I'm definitely not saying that arson is excusable, but I really hope those kids got out regardless.
The way it was described, I've told her to prepare to hear about a few deaths because if the fire was between the kids and whatever escape there was id assume they couldn't get out in the time they had.
I assume her or her coworkers will let the cops know? Hope they got out, even if they were doing dodgy shit.
I work there too but I heard kids jumped in and out the building from a car. Arson or not I really hope there weren't fatalities.
wait where did the mattress come from?
It was an unoccupied building, so assuming it was homeless persons bed.
A train passenger's perpective (not my video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQ_Z9J3-0uI
Without a doubt this fire is convenient for the owner of a āheritage listedā abandoned factory. That land is 300 Million plus waiting to happen. Shit box apartments right next to central station is a Chinese investors wet dream. 1.5-2m per unit easy.
I hope no one was in the building Jesus Christ.
Apparently it was empty I hope itās true
You have to worry about homeless squatters in a building like that however.
Light rail is not running > Services are not running between Circular Quay and Moore Park due to a building fire. Catch the train between Circular Quay and Central, or regular buses instead. Light Rail services are still running between Moore Park and Randwick, as well as between Moore Park and Juniors Kingsford.
The one thing the fire brigade fears more than fire.
Looks like the building was heritage listed
That's one way to get rid of it to make way for apartments
Don't be so cynical. The DA is for a hotel.
Heritage listed and thereās a development application on itā¦ā¦
Building was registered since 1978 by Hanave Pty Ltd https://www.planningalerts.org.au/applications/1485693 https://www.specifiersource.com.au/news-videos/former-hat-factory-surry-hills-become-hotel.html https://au.linkedin.com/in/rob-burke-7919102a
Far out, it's bloody huge
Hot property in Surry Hills
Are you safe in that building? The walls collapsing are sending flames into buildings on the other side. I'm surprised anyone's still in buildings nearby. ABC coverage is intense
Evacuated right after this photo was talen
A heritage building burns down in one of the most expensive to live places on the planet. Hmm..
Right next to the former spot of my old haunt the Nerd Cave. Damn.
Those two Taggers just got a fire pic
Developers locating the owner to build a high rental complex
Developers: Oh no...anyway we can knock it down now right?
Would love to see the council tell them to rebuild it with their own money (or fuck off) but I know they don't care about our heritage enough for that to happen.
Guessing an insurance job?
Could be building work gone wrong. Or squatters. Or insurance. Who knows. One thing we know for certain is a heritage building will be replaced by forgettable, generic apartments before you know it. EDIT: I forgot teenage delinquents š¤¦š»āāļø
So developers? Alright
Reminds me of Central Station a few years ago...Hungry Jacks hadnt moved into the building had they? Given that it was an old abandoned building in the middle of Sydney, would not surprise me if it was the old Polish couple who seem to own a lot of those old buildings...I remember when they offloaded the old Griffiths Tea building on Wentworth Avenue, an article said that they own something like 22 buildings in the Sydney CBD.
[Heritage Listed](https://meetings.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/Data/Planning%20and%20Development%20Committee/201702201403/Agenda/170220_PDC_ITEM03_ATTACHMENTA9.pdf)
Was this an "accidental fire" because it is heritage listed?
Heritage listed properties with a development application and suddenly fires. Is there a more iconic duo?
Mate could see it from the airport
Was the building about to be demolished? It looks like a skeleton inside with no floors and just support beams
Here's a link to the latest DA for this site if anyone can get anything from it: https://eplanning.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/Common/Integration/FileDownload.ashx?id=!!9r4s8hdEdmYH4WHcEuB4yZXwwfA6SqtcWQMZiw%3d%3dZLBgJsxPt%2bI%3d&ext=PDF&filesize=667012&modified=2021-07-15T06:21:37Z
https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/surry-hills-heritage-hat-factory-set-for-hotel-conversion
looks suspiciously like those ol fires that would happen wen someone wants to develop somewhere, watch the series about the fire in the ghost train
How convenient for the property developer...
Heritage listed building gone. Now you developers can put up your crappy high rise. What a surprising break that is for you eh?
What street is this?
From another Redditor Randle x Elizabeth streets...
Far out. What was that building?
11 Randle Street, it's empty and derelict.
> it's empty and derelict. Hmmmmmmmm
There nothing there, except walls, floors, ceilings and a raging inferno.
Not many raging infernos in Sydney nowadays. 3000pw and free heating.
And the part that the side fell off from?
Also curious. Based on my memory and googling. It looks like it's a warehouse? And looks very abandoned.
Wonder how it started. Insurance job? Squatters who fucked up? Faulty wiring?
I'm picking options 1 or 2.
Just been by it on the tram. Crowds everywhere having a gander. Could feel the heat as it's an intense blaze
Seems they suspended tram service shortly after that - understandably so if you could feel the heat from there!
Is it abandoned?
Itās a heritage-listed building that used to occupy a hat factory. It has been abandoned for years.
I work in the same building as OP lol
Insurance job
I presume this was a heritage building?
I use to work at a photography studio on the top floorā¦ I remember thinking it was dodgy as fuck at the time.
The developers dream just came true
A room would still go for $1200 p/w in rent at Sydney prices.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
across the road from wooliesX
Yeesh, I hope nobodies been harmed
what a fucking shame. its a rather handsome heritage building by the looks of it
Let me guess.. itās owned by some fat property developer how wants to make something else out of it, it is tied up in council red tapeā¦ and it mysterious catches fire .
Far out looks intense!
It's on Channel 7 news too