Ashfield apartment building evacuated after cracking fears
Residents evacuated from an apartment building in Ashfield in Sydney's inner west in the early hours of Friday morning due to concerns about cracking have been allowed to return after inspectors deemed it safe.
Firefighters and police were called to the six-unit, three-level Green Trees residential complex on Knocklayde Street about 3.30am after residents reported cracking in one of the units.
A resident in front of the apartment complex that has suffered damage.Credit:Kate Geraghty
Up to 10 residents were evacuated to a nearby community centre and an exclusion zone was set up around the building.
Fire and Rescue crews from across Sydney's inner west and as far south as Liverpool attended the call-out.
The residents were allowed to return before 9am once building inspectors had finished their work.
NSW Police regional emergency management officer Phillip Bow said inspectors had deemed the damage to be "non-structural" and residents were allowed to return.
"There is no imminent threat of the building collapsing and it has possibly been a common problem throughout the building during its lifetime," he said.
Earlier, reports to emergency services had indicated that brickwork in the building had started to show cracking and internal doors were stuck shut due to building distortion.
But Mr Bow said damage to one unit was limited to a number of cracked tiles on the floor and it was deemed "safe at this stage".
Specialist firefighters from Liverpool fire station had set up laser measuring devices to monitor for further building movement.
Emergency services attended the apartment complex on Friday.Credit:Kate Geraghty
The building is near where the new M4 East tunnels link to Parramatta Road. The new M4 East is part of the $16.8 billion WestConnex toll road project.
Transport for NSW said government engineers had been on site to determine what has caused the problem.
Specialist firefighters from Fire and Rescue NSW investigate the damage.Credit:Fire and Rescue NSW
"We understand that the emergency services have confirmed the building is safe and residents are able to access their apartments," a spokesman said.
"Transport for NSW and WestConnex will assist with any investigations if required. The new M4 tunnels continue to operate as normal."
The Green Trees building manager said her priority was the safety of the residents.
"There is nothing at this point to be alarmed about," she said.
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