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Melbourne fire: huge blaze at Coolaroo recycling centre Melbourne fire: huge blaze at recycling centre is third this year
(about 4 hours later)
More than 130 firefighters are battling an “insane” blaze, which is threatening buildings at a recycling centre and spewing ash and smoke across Melbourne. An “insane” blaze at a Melbourne recycling centre is likely to burn into the night after the factory caught fire for the third time this year.
Factories near the Coolaroo blaze have been evacuated, while others have been locked down and workers have been told to stay indoors and turn off the air conditioning. Businesses near the Coolaroo blaze, 19km north of the city, have been evacuated and others locked down after the fire started at SKM Recycling on Thursday morning.
The Metropolitan Fire Brigade acting deputy chief officer, Ken Brown, said firefighters were trying to protect an engineering building near the main fire. A relief centre has been set up for residents in a Broadmeadows aquatic centre and a community meeting scheduled for Thursday afternoon.
“We’re surrounding this fire, we’re trying to contain it, he told 3AW on Thursday. “It’s going to be an ongoing fight for some time.” An MFB spokesman said he expected the blaze to burn into the night.
Clarissa Garrow works directly across the road from the fire and said the blaze was “insane”. “No one can get in and no one can get out,” she said. “It’s really bad. Ash and papers are flying everywhere.” Clarissa Garrow, who works directly across the road from the fire, said it was “insane”.
This is the recycling centre’s third big blaze this year. A fire in February needed 130 firefighters to bring it under control. “No one can get in and no one can get out,” she said. “It’s really bad. Ash and papers are flying everywhere.”
“This is a regular thing – on my first day there was a fire there,” Garrow said. The blaze is thought to have begun in a pile of recycled materials outside the Maffra Street factory shortly before 9am.
Abby Krtar, a worker at another nearby business, said the blaze was a big one. “We can see smoke through the windows, ash is falling,” she said. “But we’re used to it.” Abby Krtar, another worker at another nearby business, said the latest fire was a big one.
A watch and act alert is in place for 18 suburbs in northern Melbourne. “Anyone located in affected areas should take shelter indoors immediately,” the emergency warning says. “We can see smoke through the windows, ash is falling,” she said. “But we’re used to it.”
“Close all exterior doors, windows and vents and ensure that heating and cooling systems are turned off. It took 65 firefighters to put out a fire at the centre in June and another 130 to put out a major blaze in February.
“If you are currently driving you should close the windows in your vehicle and turn off the air conditioning.” “This is a regular thing, on my first day there was a fire there,” Garrow said.
The alert covers Broadmeadows, Campbellfield, Coburg, Coburg North, Coolaroo, Dallas, Fawkner, Glenroy, Hadfield, Jacana, Meadow Heights, Oak Park, Pascoe Vale, Pascoe Vale South, Roxburgh Park, Somerton, Strathmore and Westmeadows. MFB acting deputy chief officer Ken Brown earlier said firefighters were trying to protect a nearby engineering building as ash and smoke spewed from the factory.
“We’re surrounding this fire, we’re trying to contain it,” he said. “It’s going to be an ongoing fight for some time.”
A Watch and Act alert remains in place for five suburbs - Coolaroo, Broadmeadows, Jacana, Campbellfield in Dallas - in northern Melbourne.
The MFB urged people in those areas to take shelter indoors.
“Close all exterior doors, windows and vents and ensure that heating and cooling systems are turned off,” it said in a statement.
When asked about the repeated factory fires, Premier Daniel Andrews said the government could only have a “proper discussion” about it once the fire was out.
“Let’s get the fire put out first, if there’s anything that needs to be done then we stand ready to do that,” he told journalists.
The state’s Environment Protection Authority said it had deployed air monitoring equipment.