Emergency services rush to huge fire in Anakie

Witnesses have reacted with shock and awe to an industrial blaze near a chicken farm that caused loud explosions and continues to burn. Watch the video.

An Anakie shed containing 70,000kg of highly flammable hand sanitiser burst into flames on Tuesday night, with more than 100firefighters battling the inferno.

Fire crews worked through the night to control the blaze at a property on Geelong-Ballan Rd, near Pringles Rd, after beingcalled to the scene about 6.20pm.

By Wednesday, the continudc to blackout the fire, while detectives from the Geelong criminal investigation unit were treatingthe fire as suspicious.

Country Fire Authority deputy group officer Dean Harding said up to 70,000kg of hand sanitiser was being kept in the shed,with gas cylinders also stored inside.

It’s unclear why the out-of-date hand sanitiser was being kept at the property.

“They were being kept in containers on pallets and that’s all slumped into itself, and that’s the active fire we have at themoment,” Mr Harding said.

“It’s private storage of the sanitiser. These sheds are leased but the owner of the property has been on scene”.

Hand sanitiser, made largely from alcohol, is a highly flammable product.

The Environment Protection Authority had issued notices to the owner of the product before the fire.

Firefighters remain at the scene of the Anakie fire.

Officers were on scene on Wednesday to assist with environmental management and the police investigation.

“At the time of the fire, the notices were still being worked through and an EPA investigation is ongoing,” a spokesman said.

Mechanic Frank Sikora, 68 lost thousands of dollars worth of goods he had been storing in the sheds in exchange for doingsome maintenance work on the tenant’s tractor.

“My whole life of stuff that I accumulated was in there and now it’s gone,” he said. “Three boats, which was going to be myretirement fund, my bus, everything it’s all gone.”

It is understood the property was being leased, with the tenant and owner both at the scene on Wednesday.

A huge explosion can be seen during a fire at a large industrial shed in Anakie, about 25 minutes from Geelong. Photo: Supplied.

Mr Sikora said he knew the tenant as Andrew and believed he lived on the site with his daughter.

Anakie resident Chloe Posterino, 19, was on her way home when she saw the flames on Tuesday night.

“I was like ‘Oh my God’,” she said.

“My cousin’s a firefighter so he gave me a heads up, it’s absolutely crazy.”

Another witness said the blaze appeared to be burning “at the old chicken farm.”

Ms Posterino said she heard “gas bottles” and “ammunition exploding”.

“They’ve put out a warning saying the smoke’s toxic and to close vents,” she continued.

“Lucky the smoke’s blowing the other way otherwise I wouldn’t be here”.

The two structures collapsed as winds pushed the smoke south of the property.

On Wednesday, the burnt and unstable structure was bulldozed for safety reasons.

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Originally published as Emergency services rush to huge fire in Anakie