The top four floors of the Bondi Junction building have been sealed off due to a police investigation into the blast, which left two plumbers in hospital with serious burns. Residents from the remaining 24 floors could only access their units before 3:00pm (AEDT) this afternoon.

A tenant from the building, Annaleise Fessl, says little is known about the extent of the damage. "They just told us it could be months, not weeks, that we're not allowed to live there," she said.  "Council could at any stage deem the whole building as uninhabitable due to lack of essential services.  "We've got no water, we've got limited electricity and there's no fire safety things in the building because the fire doors are open at all times and things like this, so it's hard."