An emergency alert has been issued for a factory fire in the New South Wales Hunter region, where there have been explosions and gas cylinders shot into the air.
Key points:
- Fire crews were called to the scene just after 10:00am this morning
- Highly volatile acetylene gas bottles and other chemicals are among the items stored at the site
- Strong winds are fanning the blaze which is expected to continue overnight
Aerial footage from the Weston Aluminium site in Kurri Kurri shows a factory building fully engulfed in flames and thick black plumes of smoke overhead.
There are more than 180 firefighters from Sydney and across the Hunter at the scene with specialist crews also assisting.
The site is used for multiple purposes, including processing aluminium slag, incinerating medical waste and storing items like hand sanitiser, highly volatile acetylene gas bottles and other chemicals.
Superintendent Scott Dodson from Fire and Rescue NSW said it was one of the biggest fires he had seen in 23 years.
"Fire is still uncontrolled, it's expanding, we've backed away due to safety concerns, but we're still attacking the fire from a defensive position," Superintendent Dodson said.
"We've had some explosions, some gas cylinders going into the air, and that's why we had to withdraw our troops from being so close and that's why we're doing a defensive attack."
The fire has been burning for several hours after emergency services were first alerted just after 10am on Sunday.
Superintendent Dodson said the fire, which was burning at about 700 to 1000 degrees Celsius, was expected to continue overnight.
NSW Police said there was no current risk to residential properties and there have been no evacuations at this stage.
However, ongoing toxic smoke has prompted a warning to residents to stay indoors, shut windows and doors.
"Our biggest concern at the moment is the smoke plume that is impacting on that residential area and we've just sent out an emergency alert regarding that," Superintendent Dodson said.
"We want you to stay indoors, and if you become affected by the smoke call triple-0 immediately."
He also said they would work with police to evacuate residents if the situation escalated.
When crews first arrived at the site they found a number of wooden crates alight and flames threatening neighbouring structures.
"They discovered some pallets of ethanol hand sanitiser which had caught fire," Superintendent Luke Unsworth from Fire and Rescue NSW said.
"Because of the strong winds around at the moment that fire had also spread to surrounding bush and grass."
He also said the blaze was proving challenging to extinguish because the hand sanitiser was flammable.
The building is believed to have been unoccupied when the blaze started. No injuries have been reported.
Business owner Garbis Simonian said he believed he was the victim of an arson attack, targeting hand sanitiser being stored alongside a factory building.
Motorists are being warned to expect delays and avoid the area where possible.
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2021-11-14 04:15:45Z
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