Dramatic footage has captured a blaze on the upper floors of a Gold Coast high rise as it caused a huge fireball to drop to the ground.
The fire broke out in the western tower of the Hilton Hotel in Surfers Paradise in the early hours of Friday morning.
A Queensland Fire Department (QFD) spokesperson said firefighters were called about 2am and that the fire has been brought under control.
A resident in a nearby building, Joevy Lyn, filmed the fireball as it plummeted more than 100m down to the roof of level two of the skyscraper, where is ignited a second blaze.
It took fire crews about an hour to extinguish both fires.
All guests were evacuated from the hotel but were allowed back inside by 6am once QFD had declared it safe.
The cause of the fire is unclear with QFD investigating.
The Gold Coast is still recovering from ex-Topical Cyclone Alfred, which hit the city last weekend.
A fireball caused by ignited debris falling from the roof at the Hilton Hotel Surfers Paradise
It then caused a second fire on level two but both blazes were brought under control by 3am Friday
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate revealed 80 per cent of beaches had ‘gone into the ocean’ in Alfred’s wake.
Experts warn the Gold Coast could take a major financial hit amid fears holiday makers will stay away due to the widespread coastal erosion.
The race is on for the beaches to return to their former glory ahead of the Easter holidays, which injected $2.5billion tourist dollars into the Queensland economy last year.
However, Mr Tate said the city endured worse in 2013 when ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald hit the glitter strip.
‘This time next week, I’d like to show that Surfers Paradise is really open for business and that way people can start booking flights,’ he said.
