More than 100 firefighters were deployed to a major fire at a self-storage facility in southwest Sydney after flames broke out.

Emergency services were called to the site in Chipping Norton shortly before 2pm on Wednesday 24th June, with multiple reports of a rapidly developing fire. Thick black smoke was visible across the area as the blaze spread through the storage complex.

Around 130 firefighters and more than 20 fire appliances attended the incident, with crews working to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading to neighbouring properties.

Approximately 30 people were evacuated from nearby businesses as a precaution. Authorities also issued warnings to local residents to keep doors and windows closed because of the smoke being generated by the fire.

Firefighters faced challenging conditions as the incident developed, including heavy smoke and limited visibility within the building. The main structure was extensively damaged and crews were expected to remain at the scene overnight.

Witnesses reported hearing explosions before seeing flames and smoke emerging from the facility. No injuries had been reported at the time of writing.

While the cause of the fire remains under investigation, the incident highlights the challenges associated with fires in storage facilities. The wide variety of materials stored within individual units can create unpredictable fire loads and increase the complexity of firefighting operations.

The scale of the response also demonstrates the importance of early evacuation, effective incident command and protecting surrounding businesses when dealing with large commercial fires.

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