Sydney Olympic Park fire: Swimming carnival disrupted after solar panels on roof of aquatic centre go up in flames

Hundreds of children who were attending a swimming carnival at a major sporting and recreational facility were forced to get out of the building after a fire broke out. 

The solar panels on the roof of the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre, in Homebush, in Sydney’s west, is understood to have caught fire, around 12.30pm. 

Children who were inside the venue were understood to be attending a swimming carnival that was being hosted at centre were forced to evacuate the building in their swimmers. 

Thick plumes of smoke was seen coming out of the building as fire crews and emergency services rushed to the scene.

Half a dozen fire crews are  currently at the scene and three ambulance crews were also called to the venue. 

Some children were trying to get back into the aquatic centre in a bid to retrieve their belongings according to reports from the Daily Telegraph. 

A spokeswoman from the NSW Ambulance Service told Daily Mail Australia everyone inside the centre was evacuated. 

‘Paramedics treated one female patient with a hip injury at the scene,’ the spokeswoman said. 

 A spokesman from NSW Fire and Rescue told Daily Mail that the firefighters managed to douse the blaze once they arrived at the scene. 

‘The centre has been closed until the damage to be building is fixed,’ the spokesman said. 

Rescuers took two hours to evacuate everyone side the building and the blaze did not manage to get inside the aquatic centre while the swimming carnival was being held. 

 

More to come.