Major grass fire under control after threatening homes in southwest Sydney

SYDNEY, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) — A large grass fire that broke out on Wednesday in southwestern Sydney in Australia’s state of New South Wales (NSW) and had threatened homes around the area has been put under control by fire crews.
Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) said in a statement on Wednesday evening that the blaze broke out just before 2 p.m. local time at a former amusement park site at the corner of Camden Valley Way and Cowpasture Road.
The FRNSW responded with the Rural Fire Service and the Rail Fire and Emergency Service, supported by NSW Police, NSW Ambulance and Transport for NSW.
More than 20 fire units, including bushfire tankers, and 80 firefighters fought the fire. Two helicopters were also used to water bomb the fire, which was fuelled by strong winds.
The fire spread in an easterly direction over 12 hectares, damaging two buildings, including an abandoned home, as well as multiple outbuildings and a number of caravans and trailers, said the FRNSW.
At the scene, one firefighter was medically treated for smoke inhalation and another was hit in the eye by smoke debris. A civilian was treated for chest pains at home by paramedics.
The fire has been downgraded to the “advice” level from “emergency warning” issued earlier. Firefighters are now engaged in mopping up operations to extinguish a small number of spot fires at the scene, said the FRNSW.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. ■