1992: Ultimo's Australian Mercantile Land and Finance Co. Building destroyed by fire

Some readers may remember the fire that destroyed the Australian Mercantile Land and Finance Co. building at Ultimo in 1992.

Originally built in 1909, the former Woolstore in Ultimo had been abandoned and was facing redevelopment into an office, retail, apartment and hotel complex while preserving the heritage-listed building.

 

The fire began at lunchtime on 6 July 1992, but media reports reported that the fire "took hold" around 12:40pm. Being a former woolstore, lanolin, which had been embedded in the floors of the building, acted as an accelerant.

At around 12:51pm, a section of the wall along the western side collapsed, followed minutes later by sections of the eastern wall which lasted until 1:40pm.

Above: Coverage by The Sydney Morning Herald on 7 July 1992. 

The collapse of the eastern wall led to the destruction as many as 20 cars parked in Bullecourt Lane, catching alight as the heated walls rained down on them. Fortunately, the Monorail Depot escaped the carnage, though was hit by debris.

Firefighters from 15 fire stations fought the blaze, which took two hours to control but was smouldering for many hours afterwards. Four firefighters were injured.

Flames were reported to have risen as high as fifty metres into the air, with smoke visible from the suburbs.

Given the severity of the fire, 800 people were evacuated from nearby homes and businesses while thousands watched the fire burn from nearby vantage points.

The site eventually became the home of the Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre and the Bullecourt apartment complex. The Aquatic Centre was opened in 2005 and was designed by Harry Seidler. 

Above: Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre. Photo taken by the Author (2009).

Above: The Bullecourt Apartment Complex. Photo taken by the Author (2015).