Chinese restaurant erupts into flames in Sydney's CBD

The fire broke out in the building's basement and spread to the roof. Photo: Anouska Knox

Sydney city workers fled in panic as flames roared up the side of a building this afternoon in busy George Street.

The blaze started as a kitchen fire but quickly spread, leaping up seven floors.

From below, it looked like a towering inferno as pedestrians fled while burning fat and grease fell from above.

People in buildings overlooking Jamieson Street watched the flames crawl seven storeys to the top of a kitchen flue.

The fire started in the kitchen of the Emporer’s Choice chinese restaurant, fuelled by an inflammable sludge inside the pipe.

Around 100 people were in the restaurant at the time but fortunately nobody was hurt.

 Within two minutes of the flames being reported fire crews arrived from across the city fearing the worst, with a multi storey building well alight.

Witnesses said an external pipe on the building looked to have caught fire. Photo: Troy Knox

But the fire was contained to the kitchen basement area.

The damage bill is expected to run into hundreds of thousands of dollars but it could have been much worse.

Fire crews inspected each floor of the building but only the restaurant was affected.

Jamieson Street behind was reopened to traffic just before 5.30PM and authorities are not expecting any further disruption.

Source: Yahoo - 2md September 2014