A FIRE that destroyed an office building at a former abattoir in Blayney may have been deliberately lit.
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The blaze broke out around 4.40am on Friday at the Hill Street site with with multiple crews of firefighters rushing to the scene.
Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) Acting Zone Commander Steve Evans said upon their arrival the building was fully engulfed by fire.
“A brick building, around 20 metres by 40 metres, was well alight,” he said.
Police and ambulance crews were also called to the site, however, there were no reports of injuries.
Chifley Police District Duty Officer Inspector David Abercrombie said the premises had been empty for a number of years and the blaze was under investigation.
“It’s been the victim of malicious damage and fires,” he said of the time since the site was closed.
“It’s possible the fire has been deliberately lit as the premises had no power.”
The last blaze to occur in the former abattoir was on April 20 this year and this also occurred at a similar time.
On this occasion, multiple brigades of NSW Rural Fire Service and Fire and Rescue NSW were called to the site at 4.15am on that date.
FRNSW Acting Zone Commander Evans said it took crews around three hours to get Friday’s blaze under control before the scene was handed over to police.
“It was an unoccupied building and the police will want to determine whether there’s been a criminal act or it was accidental,” he said.