By Lachlan Abbott
A major factory fire has sent a giant plume of black smoke across Melbourne’s south-east and further escalated a dispute about whether the age of Victoria’s firefighting fleet is jeopardising community safety.
Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) said a caller to triple zero reported that lithium-ion batteries had caught alight at the Phoenix Technology Group factory in Cheltenham at 8.38am Thursday.
FRV said two adjoining factories of the Chesterville Road business were razed, but the fire was contained to the property after a 2½-hour fight.
“Around 25 fire trucks – including two ladder platforms and a teleboom – along with 70 firefighters responded to the incident at its peak,” FRV said in a statement.
FRV said the fire was brought under control about 2.30pm.
The United Firefighters Union (UFU) said two tankers failed during the emergency response, just one day after the union voted to take up to 30 trucks off the road in a dramatic escalation of its dispute with the Allan government.
However, FRV assistant chief fire officer Barry Gray told 3AW the two breakdowns were “not a problem at all” in tackling the Cheltenham fire as reinforcements soon arrived.
“They were able to position themselves and set up an attack plan, supported by CFA. So [there were] more than adequate resources on it,” Gray told radio station 3AW.
UFU secretary Peter Marshall said the breakdowns showed the state government needed to heed the union’s long-running concerns about the unreliability of Victoria’s firefighting fleet.
“This morning’s pumper tanker failures confirm that we are well and truly in the thick of a state of emergency,” Marshall said.
“The failure of the 19-year-old pumper tanker rendered the aerial teleboom unable to do its job to protect the fire from spreading for 10 minutes, and the result could have been catastrophic.
“This was a serious fourth alarm incident, with the factory housing lithium batteries, and the fact that equipment deployed was faulty and not able to perform is a disgrace.”
The union says 42 per cent of FRV trucks are past their 15-year use-by date and claims more than 530 truck faults were recorded over the past 18 months.
In a statement, FRV said an inaccessible laneway and concerns of a partial structural collapse also hindered the initial response to Thursday’s fire.
Residents of Cheltenham, Highett, Moorabbin and Moorabbin East were warned about the smoke in an updated advice message at 12.16pm. However, it said there was no threat to the community and the fire had been contained.
FRV said the razed Cheltenham factories contained an array of items, including solar panels and lithium-ion batteries. Those inside the factory had already evacuated once firefighters arrived.
“Surrounding businesses are likely to remain closed for the day due to danger of smoke, depending on proximity,” the agency said.
The Environment Protection Authority said it was called to the fire to provide technical assistance. “Concerns include smoke and possible firewater run-off,” the EPA said on social media.
About 3pm on Thursday, FRV said Keys Road was expected to be opened shortly, while a section of Chesterville Road would remain closed. Firefighting will remain at the scene overnight.
Emergency warning issued for another Grampians fire
Separately, an updated emergency warning was issued for a bushfire on the western edge of the Grampians shortly after midday Thursday.
Residents of Mooralla and Woohlpooer have been told to leave immediately as the fire – about 18 kilometres north-east of Cavendish near Rocklands Reservoir – threatens farmland.
“There was a significant increase in fire activity overnight that caused the fire to spread in multiple directions,” the alert said.
“The fire activity has temporarily subsided but is still expected to impact private land on the western edge at various points between Hoffmans Road and Billywing Road.”
The regional hub of Horsham was also included in an updated community information notice that warned residents to limit smoke exposure as the nearby Grampians and Little Desert fires continued to burn.
The latter blaze – which threatened Dimboola on Monday night – has now grown to almost 70,000 hectares, State Control Centre spokesperson Reegan Key said on Thursday morning.
“Crews worked really hard overnight on the southern edge, but there’s still movement on the northern side of that fire, up towards Dimboola and the Western Highway,” Key said.
Community meetings were scheduled for Halls Gap and Cavendish on Thursday, with warmer temperatures forecast for the weekend.
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