A fire broke out in the Villawood detention centre, refugee advocates said, with video showing detainees preparing to jump to safety.
The Refugee Action Coalition said the fire started about 11.30am on Thursday in the Latrobe building in Sydney’s west.
Three aerial pumpers, specialist hazmat and rescue crews were deployed and more than 40 firefighters were involved in putting out the “4th alarm” blaze, according to a statement from Fire and Rescue NSW.
During the early stages of the fire, three detainees on the top floor smashed windows and jumped on to mattresses below to escape the smoke, the statement said.
They were assessed at the scene alongside 12 staff who sustained smoke inhalation by NSW Ambulance paramedics.
Refugee Action Coalition said immigration detainees could be seen evacuating the two-storey building.
Detainees have posted TikTok videos of them preparing to jump from top floor windows to safety.
One TikTok showed black smoke billowing from a window as an alarm blared out with a call to “evacuate now”.
The people taking the video repeatedly yell to people outside the window “we can’t get out” and “we can’t breathe”.
One detainee forced a window open with his foot, before jumping.
“Almost got stuck inside top floor of Villawood detention centre, had to jump out window,” the caption on the video reads.
Fire and Rescue NSW said firefighters managed to quickly contain and extinguish the fire.
“They are now pulling apart the ceiling within the compound to ensure it has not spread into the roof void,” the statement said.
