Dozens of firefighters and emergency services have rushed to contain a major chemical factory fire in Melbourne’s west on Saturday morning, with five people evacuated and smoke causing local road closures.
It comes just a week after a major Derrimut factory fire, which forced thousands of people to stay indoors due to potentially toxic smoke.
The Deer Park blaze, just a short distance from last week’s fire, almost fully engulfed the 100 by 50 metre factory on Ballarat Road at around 7am, setting off an automatic fire alarm.
More than 80 firefighters arrived on scene shortly before 7.30am, Fire Rescue Victoria confirmed, and immediately escalated the response with additional aerial appliances and personnel.
Five people were safely evacuated before crews arrived. The individuals were not in the building that caught alight, but another building onsite. Ambulance Victoria confirmed paramedics were called to the scene and were on standby, however there were no patients.
The building that caught alight produces plastic shipping pallets, reported to have a heat release rate three to five times higher than wood pallets.
A significant amount of smoke is visible around Deer Park, due to a fire on Ballarat Road. Motorists should keep their ventilation on recirculate and windows up. Drive with caution, and where safe, make way for emergency services on their way to the incident. #victraffic pic.twitter.com/jOydyvKQis
— VicTraffic (@VicTraffic) July 19, 2024
Firefighters initially attacked the building from the outside, before launching an “aggressive internal attack”. The fire was brought under control shortly after 9am.
Environment Protection Authority (EPA) Victoria confirmed it was also on the scene to support emergency services, however it was too early to tell if there would be environmental impacts.
The fire had not been deemed suspicious, Fire Rescue Victoria confirmed, with the cause yet to be determined and under investigation.
Emergency Management Victoria issued an advice warning for nearby suburbs to monitor for smoke and road closures, warning traffic would be affected and flames would be visible.
Ballarat Road is now closed westbound, at Cairnlea Drive, Cairnlea, due to a large fire. Emergency services diverting drivers, consider using Furlong Road to the north, or Tilburn Road to the south. The Western Freeway also provides a good alternative. #victraffic pic.twitter.com/uqVxjuOjiM
— VicTraffic (@VicTraffic) July 19, 2024
Victoria Traffic confirmed Ballarat Road had been closed westbound due to the fire, with a “significant amount of smoke” visible in the area.
“Motorists should keep their ventilation on recirculate and windows up. Drive with caution, and where safe, make way for emergency services on their way to the incident.”
The factory site has been used for more than a century for the manufacturing, storage and disposal of explosive materials, mostly associated with the mining industry.
The facility is run by Welvic, who sublet the site from chemicals company Orica.
Fire Rescue Victoria said there were no risks to the public and by 11am, smoke was at safe levels to the public.
The blaze follows an enormous chemical fire at Derrimut on 10 July, which caused drum barrels to shoot in the air and prompted Fire Rescue Victoria to activate the seventh-level alarm for the first time.
The EPA warned the recovery of nearby waterways, contaminated from both the firefighting efforts and the chemicals at the site, could take months.
Stephen Landsell, the EPA’s western metropolitan region manager, said no stone would be left unturned during the investigation into the cause of the Derrimut fire.
