On 29 April 1981 at approximately 11 pm, a fire began at a nursing home in Sylvania Heights, southern Sydney. There were 64 residents and three nurses present at the time of the fire. Although the fire was contained within two hours, it killed 16 people and injured 51.
One resident was found guilty of the 16 murders.
Leader Fifty, ‘Deliberate nursing home fire killed 16 elderly, 2011’, website viewed 26 October 2011
Ministry for Police & Emergency Services, 1981 April 29 Sylvania Heights Sydney fire, 18 September 2007, website viewed 26 October 2011
The Montreal Gazette, ‘88-year-old charged after 16 die in blaze’, 1 May 1981, viewed on Google News, 26 October 2011
