Explosion in Sydney apartment blows out brick wall and damages adjoining units
Officials do not yet know how an explosion at an apartment block in western Sydney this morning that saw one person taken to hospital occurred, saying 'there is no fire'.
Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) responded to reports ust before 6.30am of the explosion at an apartment block in Lidcombe. There was an explosion in a unit on the second level of a three-story building that blew out a brick wall, damaged a car and caused damage to adjoining units in the structure, officials said.
Firefighters found one person they described as 'unconscious or semiconscious' who was rescued, treated by paramedics and taken to an area hospital for treatment.
'They tell me that they'll be ok,' FRNSW superintendent Adam Dewberry said.
Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email
Dewberry said there were no other reported injuries at this stage, and all people inside the unit had been accounted for. But there was 'significant damage' to the building, he said.
'There are some pets left in the building,' he said.
'A number of … people will be displaced and will not be able to go back into their accommodation due to the damage to the structure.'
'We are not sure at this stage how this explosion has occurred,' Dewberry added. 'There is no fire.'
Specialist FRNSW experts on scene on Friday morning were monitoring the building's stability with lasers, and a recovery operation had commenced.
More details soon …
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
9 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Watch the shocking moment an Aussie is allegedly caught with drugs during a routine Bali traffic stop
An Australian man has been arrested after a suspicious looking bag fell out of his pocket in front of Bali police after a night of partying. Officers stopped Philip James Nelson, 33, on Wednesday at 6pm local time for driving a scooter without a helmet in North Kuta, a popular tourist spot in the Badung region. Footage has shown the moment a small plastic bag with something white inside fell on the road as Nelson was told to raise his hands by police. The officers' demeanour changed when they spotted the bag and one appeared to lock Nelson's head under his arm in Radar Bali's video, which was published on Friday. Fours officers then crowded around the Australian to detain him as he can be heard saying: 'It's Panadol.' An officer shakes his head and can be heard saying 'cocaine'. But Nelson responded: 'Test it, it's Panadol.' The officer picked up the bag of alleged cocaine from the road after taking another bag out of Nelson's hands. Nelson then appeared to recognise one officer who he spoke to briefly before he was led away. A young woman, who has not been identified but is believed to be a foreign national and Nelson's girlfriend, was also detained by police. If found guilty, Nelson could face a maximum 12 years prison term. Head of Badung Police's narcotics unit Nyoman Sudarma confirmed officers stopped the pair while they were riding an Nmax motorbike in the seaside village of Perenan. Officers then carried out a routine body and clothing search of Nelson. '(Police) found, in Mr Nelson's left hand - previously removed from the left pocket of his pants - two plastic clip packages containing a white powder suspected to be cocaine,' Sudarma said. Bali officers allege he was caught with 0.85g of cocaine and 0.53g of MDMA. Nelson is understood to be staying at a villa in the village and, an hour after his arrest, narcotics officers searched the property but found nothing related to drugs. Mr Sudarma has alleged the Australian admitted he obtained the suspected drugs at a party and was planning to use the cocaine himself at the villa he is staying in. He also alleged that Nelson admitted he did not have 'authorisation' from authorities to possess the suspected cocaine. Both Nelson and the woman were taken to Badung Police Station for further investigation. A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told Daily Mail Australia they werre aware that an Australian had been detained in Bali. 'We are in contact with local authorities and stand ready to provide consular assistance, to any Australian citizen, should they request it,' they said. He is the third Australian man to be arrested in as many weeks on suspicion of drug-related offending. On May 29, Queensland man Puridas Robinson, 40, was detained after police allegedly found a stash of marijuana at his West Denpasar villa. Like MDMA and cocaine, marijuana is a Class 1 drug in Indonesia. His arrest comes after the arrest of Harsh Vardhan Nowlakha at Bali Airport in May when Nowlakha arrived from Los Angeles allegedly carrying 600g of marijuana. Nowlakha allegedly told investigators that he brought the drugs for Robinson and police followed him to Robinson's address where they searched the property. Robinson denied that he ordered the drugs. The head of the drugs eradication unit at Bali Branch National Narcotic Agency, Senior Commander Made Sinar Subawa, told Daily Mail Australia Robinson would not be charged with trafficking. Instead, he may be charged with drug possession which carries a maximum 12 year prison term. It followed the arrest of fellow Aussie Lamar Ahchee, 43, on May 22 after allegedly smuggling 1.8kg of cocaine from the UK while living in Bali. Ahchee has not yet been charged by officials but could face a potential death sentence if convicted of smuggling the cocaine worth an estimated $1.1million. Following his arrest, Ahchee's family descended on the island where his sister Stephanie issued a message of thanks to Balinese officials. 'Our family wishes to extend our sincere appreciation to the Indonesian authorities for their professionalism and impartiality in handling Lamar's case,' she said. 'We are grateful for the fair and respectful treatment he has received from law enforcement and legal officials throughout this process.' Ahchee's lawyer Edward Pangkahila told reporters his client firmly denied dealing drugs, but conceded he was a 'drug addict'. 'Lamar has been set up by someone called "Boss",' Mr Pangkahila said, referencing a stranger in England who allegedly sent the Lindt boxes. 'He was told to collect the package, but he actually didn't know what the package was. He thought it was a normal package.'
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
The killers got the wrong man - innocent plumber John Versace. Now homicide cop reveals the twisted truth of what's going on inside murderers' heads as they remain on the run
They thought they had pleased their masters by ruthlessly gunning down a young man outside his western Sydney home... but the killer, or killers, actually got it very, very wrong. Innocent plumber John Versace, 23, was shot dead as he got out of his ute at his family's home in Dalton Avenue in Condell Park, in Sydney 's south-west, about 10.30pm on May 19. The shooter unloaded about 10 rounds of bullets, with Mr Versace suffering four gunshot wounds to his chest and stomach. He died at the scene. All evidence shows Mr Versace had done never done anything to spark such a ruthless act of retribution from the underworld. And those responsible - no doubt now aware they have made a big mistake - are still on the run almost a month later. Now a retired homicide detective with decades of experience investigating cases such as Mr Versace's sheds light on the possible motivations of the hitmen responsible and the fallout the killing would have caused in the underworld. Former Victoria Police officer Charlie Bezzina believes the 'hit' on Mr Versace was likely carried out by people on the 'lower end of the criminal sphere'. He said instead of feeling guilt over gunning down an innocent man, they would instead be playing the 'blame game' and claim that they were given flawed information. 'You're not dealing with professional people. You're dealing with low educated people and they accept what they've been told,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'These shooters would be highly strung and their angst will be so high that they shoot and ask questions later. 'They want to do the deeds for their masters and then, bang, bang. Let's go. That was him.... and then they find out later it wasn't him.' He said the shooters were unlikely to face any major repercussions for killing the wrong person, with the shooting only putting the actual target on higher alert - giving them time to flee the country and go into hiding. Mr Bezzina said those responsible for Mr Versace's death were unlikely to have done their due diligence to confirm the identity of their intended target. 'An undercover operative or a private investigator would have parameters of the law where they've got to prove the identity [of the target] but these guys don't, they're just flying by the seat of their pants,' he said. 'Have they got a photograph of them? Have they got a car number? Have they got a car? Have they got a specific address he's been put to? 'They're relying on other people to give them the right information. 'They'll say, "you gave us that information, and that's what we acted upon. So it's your fault. It's not our fault". 'So someone comes out of a particular location nearby that might look a little bit similar to the target... they thought that might be the guy coming out and that'll do.' Mr Bezzina said cases of mistaken identity were some 'of the most difficult' to solve as police rely on people to come forward with information. However, this can prove difficult when organised crime figures are subject to a code of silence and witnesses are too fearful for their own safety to talk. 'You've got to go in with your best case before you arrest people of this type. You don't want to go in half-heartedly, charge someone and then lose at trial,' he said. 'That's the thoroughness of these type of investigations, they would be doing everything within their legal power, to get the evidence, to identify these people. 'The frequencies of these incompetent criminals is a cause of concern for the police, and that's why if they've got the evidence, I can assure you, they'd be very keen to lay charges sooner than later.' Police told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday the investigation was ongoing but no further details could be provided at this time. Harrowing footage from a neighbour's CCTV camera captured Mr Versace's final moments on his parents' doorstep where he lived with his sisters. Security footage showed Mr Versace reversing his ute up the driveway and parking it very close to the garage door. As he exited the ute, a small silver hatchback, believed to be a Toyota Corolla, parked across the driveway of the home. The male gunman, dressed in black and wearing a face covering, got out of the backseat and approached the front of the house. 'Hey, hey, hey, hey, stop, stop,' a man is heard yelling before the gunman raised his right hand and opened fire with a Glock-style weapon. Police later received reports of a car, which police believe was stolen in December, about 12km away in Fairfield Heights. A handgun similar to a Glock-style pistol was found inside the vehicle after firefighters extinguished the flames. 'We believe that this has the hallmarks of a targeted execution. (It is) very brutal, very distressing,' Superintendent Rodney Hart told reporters at the time. Mr Versace's sister Deanne recently paid a heartbreaking tribute to her 'beautiful baby brother' - sharing powerful images and video of highlights of his life on social media.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Teens on the run after a series of shocking attacks
Police are hunting for a pair of teenagers who were allegedly involved in two serious attacks overnight. Victorian Police are currently investigating a series of assaults by the two boys in Melbourne 's south-eastern suburbs which began at 5pm on Friday evening. A 70-year-old man was first allegedly assaulted by the pair in a chemist at a Keysborough shopping centre in Dandenong North. The elderly man had attempted to stop the boys from leaving the store with items which he suspected they were trying to steal. Following the assault the man was taken to hospital with serious injuries. Just hours later a 16-year-old boy was allegedly attacked by the teenagers while waiting for a bus in Dingley Village at 7pm. The victim was approached and stabbed in what police called an unprovoked attack. As he attempted to flee, the two teens continued their assault, police said. The 16-year-old was also taken to hospital with serious injuries. Police are now on the lookout for the two teens responsible for the attacks. They fled the scene after assaulting their second victim and detectives have dispatched dog squads to aid local police in their hunt. The boys have yet to be located and an investigation into the assaults has been launched by the local Dandenong and Moorabbin Crime Investigation Unit.
