Firefighters have battled a building fire that blanketed Brisbane’s CBD in smoke while a man fights for life in hospital.
Emergency crews were called to a burning property on Hubert Street in Woolloongabba about 4.30pm on Wednesday.
Surrounding roads including Gibbon, Stanley, Raid and Hawthorne streets were closed with police making an emergency declaration.
A man was taken by ambulance to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital suffering from life-threatening airway burns.
The fire was brought under control just after 9pm with more than a dozen crews at the scene. Three crews remained at the scene on Wednesday night, a Queensland fire department spokesman said.
The fire caused structural collapse in the building in which it started, partial collapse and extensive damage to a second building and smoke damage to a third.
Resources included a ladder platform allowing firefighters to access the flames from height.
Members of the public were been advised to avoid the area and those within the exclusion zone asked to remain indoors until further notice.
