Man seriously injured, buildings razed in Woolloongabba inferno
A man was rushed to hospital after a blaze in Brisbane’s inner-south spread to at least three buildings and forced police to declare a public emergency at peak hour.
Fifteen fire crews, led by senior officers, were battling the fire well into Wednesday night, with police and paramedics also on the scene at Woolloongabba.
A Queensland Ambulance Service spokeswoman said a man suffering airway burns and smoke inhalation was taken to Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, before the ambulance returned to the scene.
Firefighting cranes were called in as a Brisbane fire spread to multiple buildings at peak hour on Wednesday.Credit: Nine News
The fire appeared to have started in an abandoned commercial building on Hubert Street before spreading to neighbouring sites, including a heritage-listed Georgian Revival hall used by The Lussh for weddings.
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As of 8.30pm on Wednesday, 13 fire crews remained at the scene, with a QFS spokesman saying one building had been razed and the roof of another had collapsed.
“I was on my top-floor apartment and I saw a bunch of black smoke accumulated pretty quickly,” said one bystander, who gave his name as Phillip.
As the smoke billowed across Brisbane, heat could be felt in surrounding streets, and nearby trees were burnt like kindling.
Reports of asbestos and chemicals prompted police to declare a public emergency and declare an exclusion zone stretching from the Pacific Motorway to the Gabba.
“Members of the public are advised to avoid the area, and those within the exclusion zone are asked to remain indoors until further notice,” police warned.
The buildings were in the Woolloongabba Priority Development Area, which the state government has set aside for a sweeping urban renewal project to take advantage of the new Cross River Rail station under construction opposite the Gabba.
The fire was first reported at 4.20pm on Wednesday, with crews arriving 10 minutes later.Credit: William Davis
While developers have already lodged plans for residential towers, as well as restaurants and shops in the area, the government’s decision not to rebuild the Gabba for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games has put a cloud over the area.
A planned Metro station may no longer be built, and a masterplan has yet to be finalised for the land above the Cross River Rail station.
Motorists and commuters took to social media to report the fire and smoke as it spread across the city.
Fire investigators will not be able to enter the buildings until at least Thursday morning. It was not known what sparked the blaze, and police will examine whether it was deliberately lit.
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