Fire destroys $1.5 million of equipment at the ResourceCo rubbish tip near McLaren Vale
RESIDENTS watched helplessly yesterday as a ferocious fire destroyed $1.5 million of equipment at the ResourceCo rubbish tip near McLaren Vale.
RESIDENTS watched helplessly yesterday as a ferocious fire destroyed $1.5 million of equipment at the ResourceCo rubbish tip near McLaren Vale.
The fire broke out at the dump on South Rd and spread to grassland just before 1pm.
Country Fire Service crews with the help of water bombers took about four hours to contain the blaze, which burnt less than 1ha of land.
However, CFS assistant chief officer Daniel Austin said $1.5 million of machinery was damaged.
“It was pretty much contained within the dump itself and the machinery involved in the operation of the dump is what was damaged,” he said.
Wineries, including Simon Hackett Wines, said they were prepared to activate their bushfire plans.
Some residents to the west of the fire decided to evacuate.
McLaren Vale resident Monica Green said she was alerted to the fire by a neighbour on Victor Harbor Rd.
“They thought it was quite a ferocious-looking fire from up there,” she said.
From her property, Ms Green was able to see the flames about 400m away, which she said “was a bit of a worry”.
“Our neighbours were watching as well up the track from us. They were a bit concerned,” she said. “They had a hill they could stand on to see how it was developing.”
But Ms Green said within 35 minutes of being notified, the fire looked under control.
