Crime scene after Sydney apartment block fire

Police are investigating whether a blaze at a partially-built high-rise building in Sydney's southwest was deliberately lit.

Liverpool apartment blaze

An apartment building burns in Liverpool, Sydney. Source: Seven Network

A high-rise apartment complex damaged by fire in Sydney's southwest remains a crime scene as police investigate whether the blaze was deliberately lit.

More than 70 firefighters battled the inferno, which broke out on the 16th floor in Liverpool just before 8.30pm on Thursday, bringing it under control just after midnight.

The luxury complex, called the Paper Mill, was due to be completed early next year, says the developer Coronation Property.

The 200 units, priced from $465,000 to $1.2 million, were close to being sold out.

A Coronation Property spokesman told AAP it was unclear if structural damage had occurred in the fire and engineers would need to inspect the building when police finished investigating.

He said while the blaze looked dramatic due to the height of the building, it was only wood used to form concrete walls that went up in flames.

"There is no cladding or anything like that," he said on Friday.

"I imagine the structural integrity is all still good.

"I think we will find it looked worse than it really was."

He said the fire was unlikely to delay the project and apartment buyers would be contacted when police finished investigating, but this was unlikely to happen until next week.

No one was injured in the fire and police are investigating what sparked the blaze, which they believe may have been deliberately lit.

Share
2 min read

Published

Updated



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world
Crime scene after Sydney apartment block fire | SBS News