Historic arcade in south Sydney destroyed by fire, investigation underway

A huge fire has ripped through an historic arcade in Sydney's south-west.

The blaze broke out at the Whiteman's Arcade on Argyle Street, in Camden, just after 3am.

Police patrolling the area noted the building was alight and called Fire and Rescue NSW.

The two-storey building is used by several businesses including a restaurant on the upper level.

Firefighters arrived to find a "significant" fire on the top level of a row of shops, Fire and Rescue NSW said.

Within minutes the fire had broken through the roof.

Crews gained control of the blaze early this morning and they are still on the scene.

Owner of the restaurant on the second storey, Upstairs at Fred's, told 2GB's Ben Fordham the fire was "just devastating".

"It's so hard that we got through being closed for those months of COVID… looking forward to a future post-COVID, and for something like this to happen," Steve Wisbey said.

"For my wife and I, it's really devastating."

Fire and Rescue NSW are working with NSW Police to investigate the cause, which is still unknown.