Responding to a reported storage shed fire, Fire & Rescue NSW worked in tandem with Queensland Fire and Rescue on an incident that quickly escalated to a large building fire as flames ripped through a commercial facility in Tweed Heads South, NSW.
Firefighters arrived to find a complicated situation. The location contained a range of commercial assets, such as a tilt-stab tenant on the Alpha side, 28 joined storage sheds bordering the Bravo and Delta sides, some of which had smoke and fire issuing on arrival, and a workshop on the Charlie side.
While crews from Banora Point worked quickly to prepare additional attack lines, firefighters from Tweed Heads conducted an offensive attack on the Bravo side of the fire. Using power saws, crews quickly gained entry to a number of storage units that were alight.
It was soon apparent that the fire had moved to the mezzanine level and into adjoining structures as crews battled to contain the fire to the storage units on the Bravo side. The attack crew from Tweed Heads noticed the smoke change as flames began to breach the roof and when it was apparent a flashover was about to occur, crews switched from an offensive attack on Bravo to a defensive attack on Alpha.
The front tenancy employed approximately 40 disabled workers, and the 28 storage units contained property of great value to many locals. From vintage cars to all their possessions while in between moving homes Most of us know people personally affected by this incident, and our thoughts are with them during this difficult time.
Banora Point Fire Station
The water supply was compromised due to the overloading of the water main, exacerbated by the use of multiple 70mm hose lines. To address this challenge, firefighters implemented relay pumping from additional appliances, adjusted LPM dials on branches, and prioritised areas for fire attack and exposure protection.
The compromised structural integrity of the building, with weakened framing and partial wall collapse on the Alpha side, prompted the deployment of an aerial platform from Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES). This aerial appliance provided access to inaccessible areas for ground crews. Simultaneously, firefighters cut entries into all 28 storage units to extinguish individual fires, many of which contained significant fuel loads. In the following days, controlled partial demolition was executed to completely eliminate residual hot spots.
Appliances in attendance:
| NSW Appliances | Queensland Appliances |
|---|---|
| P514 Banora Point | Bilinga Pumper |
| P468A Tweed Heads | Mount Gravatt CAPA |
| P468B Tweed Heads | |
| H468 Tweed Heads | |
| P347 Kingscliff | |
| P391 Murwillumbah |
