Mass evacuations amid fears a 70m tower near Sydney Airport could COLLAPSE and spark a huge explosion
- Huge fire inside cooling tower at Banksmeadow factory
- Exclusion zone spanning 800m set up on Tuesday afternoon
A massive evacuation zone has been set up near Sydney Airport after a cooling tower at a plastic factory caught fire, sparking fears it could fall onto hydrogen tanks.
The fire inside the 70m-high cooling tower sparked an 800m evacuation order in Banksmeadow, in Sydney’s south-east, on Tuesday afternoon just before 4pm.
A number of highly flammable tanks of hydrogen are being stored in semi-trailers in a property that neighbours the plastic plant.
If the burning cooling tower falls onto the hydrogen tanks, it could trigger a huge explosion.
Firefighters, emergency HAZMAT teams and drones are on scene to observe the fire.
More to come.
