The firewoodholders were used in the construction of the Sydney Opera House.
But what they were used for is now under investigation.
The building is owned by the city’s Fire and Emergency Services Department (FESD) and is currently under construction on the third floor.
In the past, the fire service has used them to keep fires under control in the building.
But now the city is looking into whether they were put in place to prevent the building from catching fire.
Fire and Emergency Service spokesman Mark Lewis says the fire is still being investigated.
“The fire is being investigated and we are not in a position to say at this stage how the fire started,” he said.
“It’s a process we are undertaking and we have to wait for all of the relevant information before making any further comment.”
He said he could not comment on whether the fire would spread to the building’s roof or if there was an environmental fire risk.
But Mr Lewis says there were fire extinguishers on hand at the time and the fire was contained.
He said the fire department was “extremely disappointed” with the way the fire got started.
“Unfortunately, due to the nature of the fire and the severity of the situation, the city did not have the resources or the capacity to control the fire properly,” he told ABC Radio Sydney.
“We are very disappointed with the situation that has been caused and it’s obviously going to be a huge setback to the city.”
But we’re working with the FESD to ensure the fire does not spread to our building and hopefully to ensure we have a safe and secure building.
“He says there is no evidence that the fire extinguisher was tampered with and it is also not clear whether it was put there by a tenant or a contractor.
Mr Lewis says if there were a fire risk the city would be looking into the issue.”
At this stage we can’t comment further as we are still investigating,” he says.”
However, we are very aware of the risks that may have been posed and we would urge anyone who may have seen anything suspicious to come forward.
