APRIL 9, 2019 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
news + sport + property guide
Fire hazard was known By Laura Michell
The factory fire on Thornycroft Road in Campbellfield. (Pictures:
The company at the centre of a massive chemical fire in Campbellfield last Friday had its licence suspended by the Environment Protection Authority 15 days before the blaze. The Environment Protection Authority suspended Bradbury Industrial Services’ licence on March 21, after a March 13 investigation found the company was storing more waste than permitted under its licence. A fire broke out at the company’s Thornycroft Street site about 6.40am on April 5. The EPA’s Damian Wells told a community meeting in Broadmeadows last Friday that investigators believed about 400,000 litres of waste was being stored on the site during the March 13 inspection. A subsequent inspection the day before the fire found about 300,000 litres. The company is licensed to store 150,000 litres. The EPA said storage containers on the site were not adequately labelled and were being handled outside an adequately bounded area. An EPA statement from March 21 said Bradbury Industrial Services provides storage and disposal services for hazardous and industrial waste and specialises in treating solvent and other waste from paint and related industries. Mr Wells told the community meeting it was a “privilege” to hold an EPA licence. “When that is abused, we will suspend the licence,” he said. Angry residents attended Friday’s community meeting, demanding to know what the EPA and other agencies were doing to prevent future incidents. MFB deputy chief officer Ken Brown told residents that the fire would have been much bigger if the EPA hadn’t inspected the site last month and suspended the company’s licence. Mr Brown said the fire site was the size of two Olympic swimming pools, and was believed to contain dangerous goods that caused a number of explosions. Mr Brown said the fire was an “eighth alarm” blaze – the same rating as last year’s West Footscray fire. More than 175 firefighters took about four hours to contain the fire, which caused thick black smoke to spread over Melbourne. A fundraiser set up to help a worker seriously injured in the fire had raised more than $20,000 by Monday. The Migrant Workers Centre set up an online fundraiser for Vignesh Varatharaja who suffered serious burns after a chemical drum he was pumping exploded. He remains in the Alfred Hospital in a stable condition.
Paul Jeffers/The Age)
Bottom right: Aerial stills of the fire. (Pictures: Channel Nine)
CARS FROM $23 PER DAY TRUCK RENTALS
Short term, valid til 31st July, 2019 Must present this voucher. T&Cs apply.
CARS
& Footscray 12401811-CG42-18
$10 OFF*
Office: Campbellfield
Short Term & Long-Term Rentals
VANS
SUVS
TRUCKS
03 9303 7447