Dozens of people were evacuated after a suspicious blaze erupted alongside a unit complex in Wollongong.
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The fire ignited in a car left in an outdoor car park at the rear of a social housing complex on Cliff Road, just after 9am on Wednesday, August 30.
As firefighters arrived on scene they found the fire had spread to another car and a nearby 17-foot sailing boat.
"There was very thick, black smoke due to the cars having lots of plastics, and the boat having fiberglass," Fire and Rescue NSW Wollongong Station Officer Greg Rood said.
The fire was burning so ferociously that it threatened to ignite a section of the unit complex.
"We were getting some heavy smoke in the stairwells," Station Officer Rood said.
"Another five or 10 minutes and it would have started impinging on the unit block to the southern side.
"We knocked it [the fire] down very quickly and were able to stop it spreading to the unit block. It was lucky we were close by."
Paramedics were also called to the scene, but nobody was injured.
A station wagon, sedan and yacht were destroyed in the blaze and police are now investigating.
If you have any information call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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