Investigators will probe whether private school boys used a TikTok ‘deodorant bomb’ to start a once-in-a-decade fire in Sydney.
The seven-storey building on Randle Street in Surry Hills erupted into flames last Thursday, with almost 120 firefighters called to fight the towering blaze.
The fire was finally extinguished in the early hours of Friday morning, after a mammoth effort from emergency services, which saw busy Elizabeth Street flooded with water on Thursday night and bricks rain from the sky.
On Tuesday, NSW Police confirmed investigators had spoken to four boys, including two 13-year-olds, about the incident but are yet to lay any charges.
2GB radio host Ben Fordham revealed the arson squad was investigating whether the fire was started by an aerosol can.
Fordham said he had received a tip from a concerned mother of a friend of one of the boys allegedly involved in the incident.
‘It’s one of those crazy crazes that has spread on social media,’ he said.
‘I’ve seen a video online, it’s been made by a kid teaching others how to make a deodorant bomb, I’m not going to describe how it’s made.
‘Apparently deodorant bombs are a bit of a thing. The deodorant bomb is dangerous enough, but when you add a flame to it, you can only imagine the result.’
The seven-storey building on Randle Street in Surry Hills erupted into flames last week, with almost 120 firefighters on hand to fight the blaze (pictured)
On Tuesday, NSW Police confirmed investigators had spoken to four boys about the incident but are yet to lay any charges (pictured, firefighters at the scene last Thursday)
A 60-tonne excavator will be used to remove the bricks from a safe distance to ensure neighbouring residents will be safe when they return
Fordham said the kids involved in the fire were ‘devastated’ about what happened.
‘They come from good families, they go to nice schools, they live around the eastern suburbs. And at least one of them goes to school just a block away from the vacant building that burnt to the ground,’ he said.
The radio host said that boy had been inside the building before the fire erupted and had taken a photo inside and posted it on social media.
‘One of the investigators familiar with the case told me they’re actually good kids, good kids that put themselves in a really bad situation,’ he said.
‘That’s not excusing them. They made a really big mistake and they’re going to pay a price over it.’
It comes as TikTok videos reveal the deserted building in the CBD was a popular hangout for teenagers before it burst into flames last week.
TikTok videos have emerged showing the razed building was a popular spot for teenagers to hangout and explore (pictured)
One teen who had posted video of himself perched on one of the building’s beams said he was disappointed the spot was now gone.
‘It was a cool place to explore and watch the sunset… It got popular off TikTok,’ the teenager told The Daily Telegraph.
‘I never saw anyone lighting fires, but I’m sure people do it.’
Urban exploration is a popular trend in which people explore little known and often dangerous areas of a city such as abandoned warehouses or storm drains.
The majority of the building collapsed during the blaze and there are concerns the rest could follow and injure fire crews and pedestrians.
On Tuesday, heavy machinery specialists began demolishing the remnants of the brick and timber building that was due to be transformed into an upmarket hotel
Specialist teams are continuing to monitor the site after the heritage listed building was razed to the ground in Sydney city’s biggest fire in more than 50 years.
On Tuesday, heavy machinery specialists began demolishing the remnants of the brick and timber building that was due to be transformed into an upmarket hotel.
A 60-tonne excavator will be used to remove the bricks from a safe distance to ensure neighbouring residents will be safe when they return.
The site will then be handed over to police, the arson squad and cadaver dogs who will comb the rubble for any human remains and evidence.
It’s understood at least 15 people were sleeping inside the building before it went up in flames, two of whom remain unaccounted for.
