A barge has caught fire in Sydney‘s inner west, with thick smoke seen across the city.
Emergency services were called to Rozelle Bay near Sydney Harbour around 10.30am on Saturday after reports of a barge engulfed in flames.
A spokesperson for NSW Police told the Daily Mail that officers suspected gas canisters had caught alight.
Photos on social media showed flames covering a barge and, later, the smouldering vessel. Witnesses had also shared images of a dark cloud of smoke billowing over Sydney.
Fire Rescue NSW (FRNSW) Superintendent Kevin Smith said 20 firefighters from five separate stations rushed to respond to the blaze.
‘FRNSW was able to have firefighters on scene and investigating that incident within eight minutes of receiving those Triple-Zero calls,’ he said.
‘There are no injuries to the occupant of the barge who was away at the time.
‘FRNSW crews have been ferried out to the barge by a NSW Police boat and are conducting final fire suppression efforts and search operations to determine there’s nobody in there.’
A barge has caught fire in Sydney’s inner west, with thick smoke seen across the city. Pictured, a social media photo of the burnt out vessel
Witnesses shared images of a dark cloud of smoke billowing over Sydney
One local who saw the barge catch fire described the sight on social media.
‘[It] went up so fast, but an amazing response from the [fire services]. The Port Authority boat pumped a load of water on it too,’ they said.
The incident took place just days after a different barge caught fire in the area.
Another social media, who said they were a local, added: ‘I live just next to it. Pretty much the same spot as the one last week.’
More to come.
