Six fire trucks were called to a Honeysuckle business after smoke began billowing out of a kitchen vent.
At about 10.30am on Friday 9 May, Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews were notified of an automatic alarm set off in a building.
Emergency services were then called to the scene by occupants, following reports of heavy amounts of smoke.
Upon arrival, crews entered the building, scouting all eight floors to locate the blaze.
An approximate source location was found in a kitchen vent inside a ground floor jewellery business, Kate and Kole.
Before crews arrived, an estimated 30 occupants had self-evacuated including employees of the ground floor business.
Police and NSW Ambulance paramedics were called, too, and significant road closures were put in place on either side of the building by traffic control.
No injuries were reported at the scene.
Fire and Rescue NSW Newcastle Duty Commander Inspector Chris Forster said the cause of the blaze was yet to be fully-determined.
“It appears that it is an electrical type of fire that may have started in the air conditioning system,” he stated.
“Crews have used thermos imaging cameras once they gained access to the space where the air conditioning unit is, and they’ve found an increased temperature in that space.
“We’re now working with a carbon dioxide extinguisher to make sure there’s no heat source or fire there, and then we’ll hand that back to the building manager.”
Residents have now been allowed back into the premises, with all upper floors deemed safe.
It is still unclear what damages have occurred.
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