A man has been rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries as fire crews battle an out-of-control building blaze in Brisbane.
Emergency crews were called to the Hubert Street property in Woolloongabba about 4.30pm on Wednesday following reports of a building in flames, with smoke blanketing the entire CBD.
Surrounding roads, including Gibbon, Stanley, Raid and Hawthorne streets, were closed, with police making an emergency declaration under the Public Safety Preservation Act.
A man was transported to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s hospital suffering from life-threatening airway burns, a Queensland Ambulance Service spokeswoman said.
No one else had been hospitalised but four ambulances remained on standby at the scene.
About 15 fire crews remained on scene, fighting the blaze which continued to burn “quite big”, a Queensland Fire and Emergency Service spokesman said.
Resources included a ladder platform allowing firefighters to access the flames from a very high level.
Crews did not enter the building, with nearby structures also under threat.
Members of the public were advised to avoid the area and those within the exclusion zone asked to remain indoors until further notice.