Drums captured shooting into the air ‘like rockets’ over Campbellfield blaze

This is the frightening moment 44-gallon drums were blasted into the sky ‘like rockets’ as a massive hazardous waste fire burned out of control in Campbellfield this morning.

A chemical inferno at a factory in Melbourne’s north this morning sent 44-gallon drums shooting up to six storeys into the air like rockets, witnesses say.

The Herald Sun captured the incredible moment the drums became airborne over the Bradbury Industrial Services factory on Thornycroft St at Campbellfield, after it was engulfed by flames about 6.40am.

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The fire rages in the early morning in Melbourne’s north. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Suddenly large drums are flung into the air as explosions sound. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

The 44-gallon drum in this image was one of about half a dozen seen flying through the air by photographer Andrew Henshaw.

In the space of just 10 minutes, Herald Sun photographer Andrew Henshaw saw about half a dozen drums go “up in the air like rockets”.

The projectiles shot up “probably the equivalent of a five or six-storey building”.

“There was a distinct sort of popping noise … you could hear them over the sound of the helicopters and the sirens, Mr Henshaw said.

“(With) the speed that they shot up into the air they almost looked like they would have had to be empty.

“It looked like they went straight up and then straight back down into the burning building.”

Fire crews work to quell the blaze. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Nearby Campbellfield streets shrouded in black smoke. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

An bird’s eye view of firefighters battling the fire from both sides. Picture: Alex Coppel.

Mr Henshaw was taking photos from the roof of a nearby building before the blaze started to spread.

“You could definitely feel the radiant heat. And we were upwind,” he said.

“There were other explosions apart from the drums going up. There looked like there was a gas leak that was ignited as well.

”It was frightening towards the end and we all decided to get off the roof.”

The fire was declared under control shortly after midday but more than 175 firefighters remain on the scene after nearby streets were evacuated and schools affected.