Helen Pitt

Hoses were not working properly.

There was no sprinkler system in the ride.

And things went from bad to worse by the time everyone came to the park to see what was happening.

People were streaming out.

The fire engines went through the mouth to get in, but there were so many people coming out.

It was very dangerous.

And I think we all know any of us that were Sydneysiders that age would be marked by that night because it was a real black night in the history of the city.

They did.

Yeah, they had to draw water from the harbour.

And by that stage, you know, it took too long to put the fire out.

So they knew that there was very little hope for anyone that may have been in that building.

Terrible, terrible scattering of bodies that were unrecognisable, that were so unrecognisable as humans that they sometimes thought they might have been mannequins in the ride.

So it's a terrible, terrible night.

No, he was not a forensic expert.

No, he was not a forensic expert.

He was not an arson expert or anything like that.

Declared it very quickly.

And the whole site was bulldozed with indecent haste way too quickly.

This would never happen today because...

We don't know actually if it was an accident or arson.