St George police no not believe a fire which gutted a Rockdale church earlier this week is suspicious.
Large flames could be seen shooting from the roof of the church, which earlier on Sunday had hosted services for Orthodox Easter.
About 60 residents were evacuated from the neighbouring nursing home, with fears the large blaze could spread to that building.
They were allowed to return to their rooms about 1am.
Fire and Rescue NSW Commissioner Greg Mullins said three firefighters were struck by falling bricks when sections of the church walls collapsed.
Two were taken to hospital in a stable condition, and were expected to make a full recovery.
St George acting crime manager Anthony Harris said due to the amount of damage caused by the fire forensic investigators have been unable to determine the exact cause.
‘’An accelerant detection dog was used at the scene. The dog did not detect the presence of an accelerant,’’ he said.
‘’Currently we have no physical evidence to indicate arson was the cause of the fire.’’
Investigations are ongoing.
