CAMPBELLFIELD
PHOTO: ADAM ROCHE
INCIDENTS
Factory blaze at Campbellfield CFA members from Epping, Bayswater and Eltham brigades supported Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) crews following multiple Triple Zero (000) callers reported seeing smoke and hearing explosions from a battery recycling factory on Sydney Road in Campbellfield at about 4.30am on 9 August. The first firefighters arrived on scene within four minutes to find a 90-metre by 50-metre factory fully alight. Crews quickly called for support and escalated the response.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF EPPING
At the height of the fire there were more than 20 firefighting trucks on scene (plus several supporting units including Bayswater brigade’s breathing apparatus (BA) van and Eltham Support) and about 60 firefighters.
Victoria Police, Ambulance Victoria and the Environment Protection Authority were also on scene. A wind blowing to the south-west caused smoke to be blown towards housing estates and businesses. Epping brigade was called out just before 4.30am. When they arrived the crew of four was tasked with setting up a ground monitor to help fight the fire. “We had a twin feed into our pumper from an FRV pumper,” Fifth Lieutenant Vince Zagari said, “and a twin feed out to the ground monitor. A panel collapsed from the tilt-slab and we angled the monitor into the fire through the hole. “The wind was blowing straight through and two of our crew had to use BA because of the smoke.” The Epping truck was back in station at about 11am. Ambulance Victoria supplied a rehab unit to check the firefighters’ temperatures and blood pressure. Eltham Support and Bayswater were responded just before 6.30am when it became clear it was going to be a big job. Eltham Support arrived first and began to switch empty BA cylinders belonging to CFA’s Epping brigade and FRV’s Craigieburn and Greenvale brigades for full ones. When the Bayswater BA van was set up, Eltham Support left the scene. “We filled about 25 cylinders for Epping brigade and Craigieburn and Greenvale crews who used to be CFA members,” Bayswater brigade Fourth Lieutenant Adam Roche said. “We filled Craigieburn and Greenvale brigades’ cylinders because they haven’t yet changed over to FRV’s ‘swap and go’ method where an empty cylinder is swapped with a full one.” The fire was declared under control at about 9.20am, but FRV crews from eight trucks remained at the scene overnight to monitor the building and extinguish hot spots. STORY DUNCAN RUSSELL
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