Get the appPolice are searching for a masked man after a house fire in Sydney's inner west. An 88-year-old woman was rescued from the balcony of the Abbotsford home, which was engulfed in flames about 4am on Tuesday. Four occupants were treated for smoke inhalation and are now in a stable condition. NSW Police believe the fire was deliberately lit, with a suspect seen spreading an accelerant before fleeing in a red Holden Astra.
Police are searching for a man in a balaclava after a suspected arson attack on a house in Abbotsford, in Sydney's inner west. Four people were taken to hospital. An 88-year-old woman was rescued by a 49-year-old man who climbed a ladder. A neighbour confronted the man while he was allegedly setting the house alight. Police believe he fled in a red Holden Astra and had suffered burns. About 40 firefighters attended the blaze, which spread to an adjoining house.
A man in a balaclava may have set himself on fire while torching a home in Sydney’s inner west, leaving four people hospitalised. Police believe the offender, who fled in a red Holden Astra, acted alone. A 49-year-old resident and police officers rescued an 88-year-old woman from the flames. The house on Weddle Ave was destroyed, and the hunt for the offender continues.
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Get the appA biosecurity lockdown has started across several inner west Sydney suburbs to fight deadly fire ants. The measures began on Monday and cover a 2km radius around a freight facility in Strathfield, where a nest was found five weeks ago. Businesses in the area must now have a biosecurity plan, with strict controls on moving high-risk materials such as turf, mulch, soil and potted plants. Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty says breaches made knowingly could bring fines of up to $1 million for individuals and $2 million for businesses.
Councils on Sydney's North Shore want smart glasses banned from indoor public facilities such as pools, libraries and community centres. North Sydney and Mosman councils have asked for the ban and for signage to be installed. Willoughby Council will debate a similar motion on Monday evening. City of Sydney and Inner West Council already have such bans. Mosman has also asked staff to examine restricting use at beaches, parks and foreshore areas. Mayor Anne-Marie Kimber said enforcement may be difficult but the idea is worth examining as a deterrent.
A 15-year-old boy was stabbed after being chased down and cornered by a group in Sydney's inner west. Police found him with stab wounds after the attack near Glebe Point Road at about 10.45pm on Saturday. Footage of the incident shows a group of at least five people, who appear to be of a similar age, attacking him near a fence. Police said paramedics treated the boy at the scene and his injuries are not life threatening. No arrests have been made.
NEXTDC shares fell 42 per cent in a single day after the company said delays in getting power to its inner-west Melbourne data centre expansion would cut its future earnings by a third. The delays followed residents in Yarraville blocking power company Jemena's crews from working in Sanderson Street, forcing them to abandon the holes they had dug. Separately, the planned listing of AI data centre company Firmus, valued at about $44 billion, fell apart after large investors refused to pay $11 a share.
The NSW Government will add 190 new bus services on routes 413 and 418 before the South-West Metro opens on Friday 30 October. Route 413, which runs between Campsie and the Sydney CBD, will gain 173 extra weekly trips. Off-peak 413 buses will run every 20 minutes instead of every 30. Route 418, linking Burwood and Sydenham, will receive 17 extra weekly trips. Transport Minister John Graham said the extra services work with the Metro. Local MP Jo Haylen said the changes would improve frequency and operating hours for residents.
Sydney's south-west metro extension will open on Friday 30 October, ending more than two years of replacement buses. The first service is set to start at 4.31am. The former T3 heavy rail line closed in September 2024 for conversion to a driverless system. Once open, the line will run 66km from Tallawong to Bankstown, and a Bankstown to Central trip is expected to take 28 minutes. Premier Chris Minns thanked commuters for their patience, calling it a huge moment for south-west Sydney.
About 300 people rallied outside the Inner West Council meeting at Ashfield Town Hall on October 20, demanding more consultation time and information on the Fairer Future Plan 2. Lilyfield residents said they received notice of the plan only two weeks into the six-week consultation period. A motion to extend consultation to February was voted down 8-7 by the Labor majority. Mayor Darcy Byrne offered an extra week of consultation, but only for Lilyfield. Submissions close on October 28.
Inner West Council's Local Transport Forum has recommended making the London Street and partial Simmons Street closures in Enmore permanent. The closures followed a six month trial that created pedestrian spaces in the suburb's nightlife precinct. A council spokesperson said most people who took part in the evaluation supported keeping the plazas. Residents raised concerns about traffic on nearby streets, which rose sharply during the trial, along with shade, noise and wrong-way driving. Council officers have identified possible design improvements, but the cost of permanent works has yet to be confirmed.
NBA star Andrew Bogut has applied for an apprehended violence order against his neighbour, Michaela Newby. The application follows an alleged incident involving the stabbing of a basketball. Ms Newby did not appear at court in Newtown on Wednesday, so the matter was held over until mid-November. The matter will return to court on November 18. According to earlier reporting by The Sunday Telegraph, neighbours complained about games lasting one to two hours. NSW Police have attended both properties, but no charges have been laid.
The opposition claims recipients of a $560 million infrastructure funding program were gagged by confidentiality clauses. The Senate is examining the Major and Local Community Infrastructure Program, which included a $6 million grant to Marrickville Golf Club in Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's electorate. Good governance groups say the projects were selected without a proper merit-based process. The government says the scheme meets commitments made during the 2025 election campaign. Bureaucrats are due to appear before the committee on Thursday.
Property executive Elise Cockerill has listed her Camperdown terrace for sale at auction this Saturday. She bought the home in 2009, when it had been renovated cheaply. Over the years she restored its period details, rebuilt the rear and added a new kitchen and third bedroom. Cockerill says she plans to downsize, and she will stay in the Newtown area. Agent Tina O'Connor says buyers from nearby hospitals and the eastern suburbs have shown interest.
Glenn Gary Cameron, dubbed the night stalker, broke down in tears while appearing before the Sydney District Court via audiovisual link on Monday. He previously pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting eight women around Moore Park and the inner west between 1991 and 1993. Cameron was arrested at Sydney International Airport in February 2024 after forensic technology advances. One victim told the court the attack had permanently changed her life. Cameron will return to court to learn his sentence on December 7.
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Get the appA 17-year-old boy has pleaded not guilty to five rape charges over an alleged attack on a woman in her Cairns home. Prosecutors allege he held the woman's partner at knifepoint while two co-accused raped her in the suburb of Manunda. Prosecutor Nicole Friedewald told the court the boy armed himself with a knife and prevented the man from intervening. The boy's barrister, Timothy Grau, will argue his client did not hear or understand comments that a co-accused planned to rape the woman.