Sydney central business district fire: Huge fire engulfs building near Central Station | Australia News

A massive fire engulfed a building near Sydney Central Station with a large plume of smoke rising into the air above the city.

Fire and rescue crews are on scene and roads are closed around the site.

The fire engulfed a building in Randle Street, Surry Hills.

A Cooper Street onlooker described seeing parts of the burning building fall onto the Elizabeth Street sidewalk.

NSW Police said evacuations and road closures were in place around Central Station. Fire and Rescue is asking people to avoid the area, with more information to come.

Black smoke billows from the building and firefighters douse the blaze from an aerial work platform.

The building is directly adjacent to apartment buildings and backs onto a narrow lane, so nearby apartments and offices and businesses are evacuated. The metal beams inside the building are burning red and it looks like huge steel beams of the building have collapsed.

Sirens and fire alarms go off and a helicopter is heard.

The fire has started to move lower in the building and it appears that all upper floors are mostly burnt out.

More soon …