Fireball erupts on Neutral Bay street after road machine hits gas line

Megan Levy

Published: May 30 2017 - 11:49AM

Firefighters have battled a large blaze that engulfed a piece of road machinery and forced the evacuation of five houses on Sydney's lower north shore.

Emergency services were called to Aubin Street in Neutral Bay about 7.20am on Tuesday after a road cutter hit a gas line, causing a fireball that enveloped the machine.

One resident, Annabel, said she heard a loud bang at that time, and saw a plume of black smoke out of her window.

"We thought a house was on fire so we ran outside and saw massive flames on our street," she said.

Aerial footage showed flames leaping well into the air, as firefighters trained their hoses on the flames. The back fences of two properties also caught alight and were damaged.

Superintendent Norman Buckley, from Fire and Rescue NSW, said the machinery was still burning at 8.30am, more than an hour after it ignited.

"It was a road cutter, they were obviously cutting up the road, and it has hit a gas line," he said.

"I'm not too sure of the size of the gas line, and that machinery is still on fire because the gas company has not been able to isolate it just at the moment."

The gas was isolated just before 9am, allowing firefighters to extinguish the blaze.

The road cutter was destroyed, and continued to smoulder on the street.

Another resident, Kylie, said roadworks were due to begin on Aubin Street on Tuesday, and all residents were asked to have their cars off the street. The roadworks were scheduled to take about four days.

Superintendent Buckley said six Fire and Rescue NSW trucks, as well as a Hazardous Material crew, had been called to the scene, near Aubin Street's intersection with Ben Boyd Road.

He said five houses had been safely evacuated on Aubin Street. NSW Ambulance said it received no reports of injuries from the fire.

Police and SafeWork NSW are investigating how the incident occurred.

This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/content/adaptive/smh/nsw/fireball-erupts-on-neutral-bay-street-after-road-machine-hits-gas-line-20170529-gwfyi3.html