Earlier this morning, firefighters worked to extinguish a fire on a demountable building at the ANU at Baldessin Crescent. At this stage, nobody has been harmed.

ACT Fire and Rescue was on scene at 7:02am on Friday, and the blaze was under control by 8:19am. According to the ACT Emergency Services Agency, the cause of the fire is yet to be determined and investigations are ongoing.

According to the ANU, the affected building was used as a temporary space for administration work. The building was slated to be decommissioned later this year. No surrounding buildings have been affected.

The ANU has asked that people must stay away from the affected area for the time being. All students and staff were alerted. Further updates will be provided by the University.

In an email, the University advised that Students and staff are currently being told to avoid the areas of:

  • Baldessin Precinct Building,
  • Baldessin Carpark,
  • Melville Hall and Tjabal Centre for Indigenous Education,
  • Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies,
  • School of Art and Design, 
  • Beryl Rawson Building.

All classes in the buildings listed have been cancelled, and people who own parking permits for Baldessin precinct may park elsewhere without receiving infringement notices.

Firefighters and police are currently on site investigating the incident, while authorities are also undertaking a full HAZMAT assessment.

If you require information about the incident, contact ANU Security at +61 2 6125 2249.

We acknowledge the Ngunnawal and Ngambri people, who are the Traditional Custodians of the land on which Woroni, Woroni Radio and Woroni TV are created, edited, published, printed and distributed. We pay our respects to Elders past and present and emerging. We acknowledge that the name Woroni was taken from the Wadi Wadi Nation without permission, and we are striving to do better for future reconciliation.