Two teens turn themselves in over Sydney blaze
NSW Police have confirmed that two teenagers have come forward over the Sydney CBD blaze that gutted two buildings, one of them heritage-listed.
The fire broke out at 4pm, and as a locksmith informed Sky News Australia, a trio of teens could be seen running towards Central Station from the building soon afterwards. That same man also said that he had spoken to police about what he’d witnessed.
And as acting assistant commissioner Paul Dunstan later confirmed, “two young people handed themselves in at two separate police stations in the late hours of last night.
"We are speaking with these young people throughout the evening and they are now assisting police with our inquiries.
"I can further confirm we are aware of a further three or four other young people who were present during the fire."
He then asked for the teens - with their parents in tow - to come forward.
The state’s arson squad quickly launched an investigation, and could be seen at the
Randle St scene the following morning, a move that is considered standard practice for an incident of such a scale. A drone, reportedly equipped with infrared technology, was also seen.
What remains of the buildings is at risk of collapse, with closures in place to keep bystanders from harm, with experts fearing bricks could rain onto the neighbouring streets.
As such, investigators have thus far been unable to access the scene to get to the bottom of what caused the blaze.
“Our fire investigators, along with police forensics, will start to make those assessments but that will be some time," Acting FRNSW Commissioner Jeremy Fewtrell said. "We have some engineers attending the scene and they will help guide our decisions around safety."
And while there have been no reports of death, the man who claimed to have seen the group of teens also mentioned to 9News that the kids had believed someone was in there.
“[They were] scared and frightened,” he said, before suggesting that it was especially because they knew “that one of the mates [was] still in the building.
"They are screaming upwards to the kid 'why are you still up there?'"
Images: 9News / Nine