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7 June 2024
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Sydney home explosion claims a life, injures five others, Australia
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An explosion levelled a two-storey property in the suburb of Whalan in Sydney, Australia, on Saturday afternoon, 1 June 2024, killing one and injuring five others. Fire and Rescue New South Wales (FRNSW) crews have rushed to the scene of an explosion and building collapse this afternoon at Whalan, in Sydney’s west. The blast occurred in Waikanda Crescent, just before 1pm. FRNSW had more than a dozen units at the location, including rescue, hazmat and ladder platform appliances. FRNSW also used Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) or drones to make an aerial assessment of the blast zone. Firefighters also used seismic monitoring equipment to capture any sounds under the ruins. A large gas leak initially prevented FRNSW crews, specially trained in Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) from entering the ruins.
The gas supply had to be cut at the scene, allowing Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) teams to enter and search the rubble.
Two women, aged in their 60s and 70s, one confined to a wheelchair, were initially rescued by firefighters and treated by Ambulance paramedics.
FRNSW specialists, trained in Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) operations, also rescued a small dog from the ruins. The animal is also being cared for at the scene.
Firefighters deployed acoustic monitoring devices in a bid to capture any sounds under the ruins and Police have run a detection dog over the debris, without any indications of human activity.
The joint agency rescue experts used jackhammers, chainsaws and other equipment to break up the rubble which is being loaded onto trucks by hand and removed from the scene. The process is slow and meticulous in the interest of safety at the site. FRNSW has also been dealing with a number of small spot fires under sections of the rubble.
The victim, aged in her 30s, was found by emergency workers about 03h20am on Monday. The woman's body was found after a crane was used to move the property's concrete slab. The discovery dashed hopes she would be found alive.
The five people evacuated from the scene, including two women rescued by FRNSW, have been released from hospital with minor injuries. The injured were taken to hospital on Saturday afternoon, three to Mount Druitt hospital and two to the Hawkesbury district health service. All had been released by Sunday morning.
FRNSW Commissioner, Jeremy Fewtrell, returned to the scene on Sunday to inspect rescue efforts. “The bottom line is there’s been the total destruction of a large building…and it’s the job of the rescuers to work their way through that rubble to try to find spaces in that collapsed area where someone might have been caught,” Commissioner Fewtrell said.
“The operators who work in this field have a range of different skillsets, from their firefighting experience, their hazardous materials experience or from a specialist operations paramedic perspective as well. Those rescuers combing that area have an understanding of the natures of structural collapse, the different ways that buildings fall under stress, and it gives them an indication of the types of places to look for survivors. This is still within the window for someone to survive,” the Commissioner explained, “You might recall in 1997, we had the Thredbo landslide…it was almost a week when Stuart Diver was rescued…hence the effort to really be exploring the building as thoroughly as we can.”
Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) has ended its search and rescue operation after the discovery of a body today at the site of the Whalan townhouse collapse.
Much of the scene was cleared of debris after a pain-staking weekend operation involving FRNSW, Police Rescue and specialist NSW Ambulance officers.
FRNSW Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) experts propped up a dangerously-perched first floor concrete slab, using stabilising rams, as other first responders in a cage, lifted by crane, swept additional debris from above, to ensure it wouldn’t fall during the major clearance stage last night.
Using special core drills, technicians then made holes in the larger concrete slabs, that had toppled to the ground during the collapse, allowing them to insert search cameras, looking for voids and air pockets. The slabs were then removed from the scene by crane. That process gave the officers access under the larger rubble, resulting in the discovery of the body.
FRNSW formally handed control of the site to NSW Police on Monday, 3 June 2024. Members of the FRNSW Fire Investigation and Research Unit (FIRU) will now assist Police investigators to determine the cause of Saturday’s explosion and collapse.
NSW Ambulance chief superintendent, Ian Johns, paid his respects to the victim’s family. “Someone has lost their life in this incident and we pay our respects to that family and to their friends and to this community,” he said.
Mental health support will be provided for those affected at the Mount Druitt health centre. It's speculated a gas leak played a role in the deadly blast amid reports locals smelled gas in the area in recent weeks.
Blacktown Detective Superintendent Darren Newman said independent experts would attend the site to "get the best information available as to how this occurred". "They'll go through a whole process and they'll work with our crime scene examiners to make sure that we can thoroughly investigate this," he told reporters in Whalan on Monday.
Choking back tears, Newman said the victim's mother was devastated by the loss and that police had been working with her since the collapse. "Obviously we had to deliver a death message this morning," he said, describing the incident as difficult and confronting for emergency workers. "We just do the best we possibly can."
The police investigation will be a part of a report for the coroner, who had been on-site with emergency teams on Monday, authorities said.
Sources: Fire and Rescue New South Wales (FRNSW)
The gas supply had to be cut at the scene, allowing Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) teams to enter and search the rubble.
Two women, aged in their 60s and 70s, one confined to a wheelchair, were initially rescued by firefighters and treated by Ambulance paramedics.
FRNSW specialists, trained in Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) operations, also rescued a small dog from the ruins. The animal is also being cared for at the scene.
Firefighters deployed acoustic monitoring devices in a bid to capture any sounds under the ruins and Police have run a detection dog over the debris, without any indications of human activity.
The joint agency rescue experts used jackhammers, chainsaws and other equipment to break up the rubble which is being loaded onto trucks by hand and removed from the scene. The process is slow and meticulous in the interest of safety at the site. FRNSW has also been dealing with a number of small spot fires under sections of the rubble.
The victim, aged in her 30s, was found by emergency workers about 03h20am on Monday. The woman's body was found after a crane was used to move the property's concrete slab. The discovery dashed hopes she would be found alive.
The five people evacuated from the scene, including two women rescued by FRNSW, have been released from hospital with minor injuries. The injured were taken to hospital on Saturday afternoon, three to Mount Druitt hospital and two to the Hawkesbury district health service. All had been released by Sunday morning.
FRNSW Commissioner, Jeremy Fewtrell, returned to the scene on Sunday to inspect rescue efforts. “The bottom line is there’s been the total destruction of a large building…and it’s the job of the rescuers to work their way through that rubble to try to find spaces in that collapsed area where someone might have been caught,” Commissioner Fewtrell said.
“The operators who work in this field have a range of different skillsets, from their firefighting experience, their hazardous materials experience or from a specialist operations paramedic perspective as well. Those rescuers combing that area have an understanding of the natures of structural collapse, the different ways that buildings fall under stress, and it gives them an indication of the types of places to look for survivors. This is still within the window for someone to survive,” the Commissioner explained, “You might recall in 1997, we had the Thredbo landslide…it was almost a week when Stuart Diver was rescued…hence the effort to really be exploring the building as thoroughly as we can.”
Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) has ended its search and rescue operation after the discovery of a body today at the site of the Whalan townhouse collapse.
Much of the scene was cleared of debris after a pain-staking weekend operation involving FRNSW, Police Rescue and specialist NSW Ambulance officers.
FRNSW Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) experts propped up a dangerously-perched first floor concrete slab, using stabilising rams, as other first responders in a cage, lifted by crane, swept additional debris from above, to ensure it wouldn’t fall during the major clearance stage last night.
Using special core drills, technicians then made holes in the larger concrete slabs, that had toppled to the ground during the collapse, allowing them to insert search cameras, looking for voids and air pockets. The slabs were then removed from the scene by crane. That process gave the officers access under the larger rubble, resulting in the discovery of the body.
FRNSW formally handed control of the site to NSW Police on Monday, 3 June 2024. Members of the FRNSW Fire Investigation and Research Unit (FIRU) will now assist Police investigators to determine the cause of Saturday’s explosion and collapse.
NSW Ambulance chief superintendent, Ian Johns, paid his respects to the victim’s family. “Someone has lost their life in this incident and we pay our respects to that family and to their friends and to this community,” he said.
Mental health support will be provided for those affected at the Mount Druitt health centre. It's speculated a gas leak played a role in the deadly blast amid reports locals smelled gas in the area in recent weeks.
Blacktown Detective Superintendent Darren Newman said independent experts would attend the site to "get the best information available as to how this occurred". "They'll go through a whole process and they'll work with our crime scene examiners to make sure that we can thoroughly investigate this," he told reporters in Whalan on Monday.
Choking back tears, Newman said the victim's mother was devastated by the loss and that police had been working with her since the collapse. "Obviously we had to deliver a death message this morning," he said, describing the incident as difficult and confronting for emergency workers. "We just do the best we possibly can."
The police investigation will be a part of a report for the coroner, who had been on-site with emergency teams on Monday, authorities said.
Sources: Fire and Rescue New South Wales (FRNSW)
