The Wandin Valley Bush Fire Brigade tin shed in A Country Practice is no more, reduced to rubble by a huge fire on Thursday evening.
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Rural Fire Service fire investigators were sent to the scene on Friday morning to ascertain the cause.
The shed caught fire just before 5pm on September 21, with calls made to the RFS and Fire & Rescue with reports of explosions within.
Hawkesbury Fire Control’s Superintendent Karen Hodges said RFS crews from Windsor, Hawkesbury Headquarters and Wilberforce brigades attended.
Seven Fire & Rescue crews also attended – Windsor, three from Richmond, Hawkesbury, Riverstone, and St Marys. Two of these were HAZMAT crews due to reports of flammable liquids in the shed.
Windsor Fire & Rescue captain Kim Roche said the explosions were due to the vehicles in the shed. “There was an old boat, a tractor, an SUV and a horse float, and about 40 litres of diesel. The explosions would have been from the tyres popping, especially on the tractor, as the tyres are larger.
“The shed was fully involved when we arrived, and had blown the powerlines down on the road.”
The fire was reported as under control at 5.50pm and 50 minutes later crews reported that they were just blacking out hotspots and had an excavator to pull tin off the remaining posts to gain access.
All crews had gone by 9.40pm, Fire & Rescue said.
A nearby resident Michael Edwards said he was alerted to the fire by the sound of explosions.
“At about 4:57pm I was on the phone to a client when there was a series of loud explosions and looking out my window, there were 10 foot flames coming out the door of the shed,” he said.
“The fire took hold so quickly that within seconds, it had entirely engulfed the shed and little could be done but look on in dismay.”
He said local police were first on the scene with fire crews very shortly after. “They have all done an amazing job,” he said.
Mr Edwards has researched local history and said he believed the shed, known as Bassingwaiths shed, was built in the 1940s.
“It has stood as an icon in the heart of Pitt Town ever since,” he said. It was even used during the 1961 flood as emergency accommodation.”
“It’s just so tragic that another chapter of Pitt Town’s history has closed. It really was such an iconic part of the local landscape.”
