New South Wales, September 2014

Fire - Urban - Rozelle Explosion, Sydney

Quick Statistics

3 Fatalities
1 Injured
1 Businesses Destroyed

In the early hours of 4 September 2014, two adults and an eleven-month-old baby died when an explosion ripped through a shop and residences above a Darling Street cafe strip in the Sydney suburb of Rozelle. Two people jumped to safety from the first floor. The owner of the premises was rescued by emergency services personnel and hospitalised.

According to the NSW Fire and Rescue Superintendent, the damage was similar to what might be seen after a major earthquake.

Nearly three weeks after the blast, detectives charged a man with three counts of murder, three counts of manslaughter, two counts of attempted murder and 17 offences relating to the property damage caused by the fire.

At time of writing, the man was to face trial in May 2016. 

ABC News, ‘Bodies believed to be mother and son found in rubble, 9 September 2014, website viewed 5 September 2014
The Sydney Morning Herald, ‘Father confronted by nightmare after Rozelle explosion’, 5 September 2014, website viewed 5 September 2014
The Sydney Morning Herald, ‘Triple murder charges a possibility after Rozelle fire’, 9 September 2014, website viewed 10 September 2014
The Sydney Morning Herald, ‘Rozelle blast: Store owner Adeel Khan arrested over deaths of three people’, 23 September 2014, website viewed 25 September 2014
The Sydney Morning Herald, ‘Adeel Khan to deny he caused fatal Rozelle explosion: court', 12 February 2016, website viewed 14 February 2016