Questacon fire sees 1000 people evacuated from building

Visitors to Questacon had to be evacuated due to a fire on Tuesday. Photo: James Day.

Emergency services were called to a fire at Questacon on Tuesday (8 October), which saw over 1000 people evacuated from the building.

The ACT Emergency Services Agency said “a small structure fire” occurred at the National Science and Technology Centre that afternoon, causing road closures in the area.

A Triple Zero call was made about the fire at 2:40 pm, and it was extinguished by 3:20 pm, with the agency saying there was “no danger to the community”.

An agency spokesperson said over 1000 people had been evacuated from the building, but no injuries had been reported as a result of the fire by Tuesday afternoon.

The spokesperson also said the damage and cause of the fire was being assessed.

The building, along with several surrounding roads, have been cordoned off. Photo: James Day.

A spokesperson from Questacon said there had been a “small fire in an electrical cupboard in the Blue Door Room in Gallery 5 of the Questacon Centre”.

“The sprinkler and alarm systems were activated, and the centre promptly evacuated,” they said.

“No one was in the room at the time and there are no injuries.

“The centre was reasonably busy this afternoon. Patrons have been informed, on-site and via social media, that tickets will be honoured or refunded.”

The spokesperson said Questacon remained closed to staff and visitors.

Police, paramedics and firefighters were all called to the scene of the fire.

The community was asked to avoid the area to allow emergency services to complete their work.

Questacon’s carpark, Parkes Place West and Mall Road West were all closed on Tuesday afternoon.