Residents have been evacuated and an exclusion zone has been issued following a fire that has destroyed hundreds of storage facilities at Logan, south of Brisbane.
Emergency services — including 17 firefighting crews — have been battling the blaze at the building on Kingston Road since 10pm on Thursday.
The fire destroyed around more than 150 units and required 50 firefighters at its peak.
Queensland police made the emergency declaration under the Public Safety Preservation Act (PSPA) just before midnight.
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Queensland Fire and Emergency Service inspector Chris Griffin said it was a precarious situation.
“It really quickly became unsafe for our crews to be inside, so we’ve been defensive outside, protecting exposures,” he said.
Mr Griffin said the four storage units where the fire started are yet to be assessed, as firefighters have been focusing on putting it out.
“We have two fuel stations that were in very close vicinity, and multiple homes that also back onto the building as well, so we’ve been protecting those all night.”
He said the facility’s “shared ceiling space” impacted the fast speed with which the blaze developed.
Some nearby residents spent the night at an evacuation centre set up at the Kingston Butter Factory.
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‘I really hoped I could get through 2024 without any more devastation’
Local Lee Jamieson is worried his possession are among those lost.
“I really hoped I could get through 2024 without any more devastation,” he said, sharing that he recently lost both his mother and grandfather to cancer.
Tammy Robinson, who runs Formally Ever After, a charity that helps dress teens for celebratory occasions and balls, said from the pictures she has seen, “it will definitely be our unit” that’s impacted.
Ms Robinson choked back tears as she explained that over half of her stock may have been destroyed in the fire.
“What we’ve lost, we’ll be able to rebuild,” she told ABC Radio Brisbane.
“[Some people] have lost stuff in storage, that’s their whole house, that’s everything they own … it’s just a lot of emotion this morning.”
PSPA downgraded
First responders worked for seven hours to contain the blaze.
Homes on Kingston Road, Juers Road, Skyline Drive, Jacaranda Avenue and Hibiscus Street were evacuated due to heavy smoke.
The PSPA has been downgraded, but remains in place, with residents allowed back into their homes this morning.
Traffic diversions remain in place, with police urging nearby residents to keep doors and windows closed and respiratory medication on hand.
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