Authorities are preparing to demolish the remaining walls of a dilapidated Sydney building damaged in an inferno last week, as the clean-up operation continues to keep roads closed and halt construction work.
Two people among 15 sleeping rough in the building the night before the blaze remain unaccounted for and, once the demolition works are completed, specialist crime scene officers will use cadaver-detection dogs and forensic imaging as sections of the rubble are removed.
“While police have not received any reports of missing people, investigators are unable to definitively say there is no one inside,” NSW police said in a statement.
Demolition machinery was being escorted to what remains of the heritage-listed Surry Hills property on Monday afternoon with works to begin on Tuesday.
There are concerns remnant walls of the former hat factory could collapse after responders noticed movement in some of the structures over the weekend.
Nearby residents and businesses have been warned to close windows and external doors while the demolition work is carried out, as dust and debris are expected.
An exclusion zone is still in place and more than 100 people remain displaced following the fire on Thursday afternoon that ravaged the seven-storey factory, spread to another building, and sent ash and debris around Sydney’s Central station during the evening peak hour.
Fire and Rescue NSW Supt Adam Dewberry said the demolition would start as soon as the light allowed.
“The whole thing is about getting in as early as possible,” he told newswire AAP.
Safety remained a priority after concerns were raised over the weekend that more parts of the structure could collapse, he said.
One of the factory’s walls rained bricks on Randle Street as the inferno – one of the largest seen in central Sydney for about a decade – raged on Thursday.
Firefighters warned another wall moved slightly inwards on Friday night, highlighting the importance of the exclusion zone affecting neighbouring apartments.
Three boys, one aged 12 and two aged 13, who police say were in the building at the time of the incident, have come forward and are assisting with inquires.
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No charges have been laid over the incident and police are appealing for anyone who witnessed suspicious activity in the vicinity in the lead-up to the fire to make contact.
Meanwhile, the fire also delayed the opening of the redevelopment of Sydney’s Central station, with parts of the critical city infrastructure still unable to be reached.
Visiting the station on Monday, the Sydney Metro chief executive, Peter Regan, explained the damage from the nearby fire and the water used to fight it was still being assessed and had delayed the opening of the Chalmers Street entrance.
“The area is still an exclusion zone so we haven’t been able to complete all those damage assessments,” he said. “We’re working that through working out, what damage has happened and what needs to be done to fix it.”
He visited the remodelled “central walk” with the NSW transport minister, Jo Haylen, who thanked emergency service workers who used the entrance of the revamped station as a firefighting post during the blaze.
“The fire on Chalmers Street meant that the new Chalmers Street entrance was unable to be opened. It was used to help fight that fire,” she said. “Unfortunately, that means a delay to that entrance.”
She made special mention of the Sydney Trains firefighters who also helped in the multiagency effort last week.
With AAP
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