Explosion fears

By Shaun Inguanzo
A FACTORY fire at iconic Dandenong caravan manufacturer Jayco could have sparked a violent sawdust explosion if not for the efforts of Dandenong firefighters.
Fire Officer Tony Hunt said on 19 December his crews were called to Jayco in Quality Drive, Dandenong South, at about 3pm.
The fire had started within a sawdust bin and when fire crews arrived, smoke was already smouldering in pipes and the hopper.
“The hopper collects all the sawdust from the premises where they make frames for caravans,” Mr Hunt said.
“The sawdust gets sucked up pipes from the workbenches and into a hopper stored outside.
“We assume a spark got sucked up, starting the fire.” Mr Hunt said the building was evacuated and three pumpers and 17 fire fighters responded to the call, which was difficult to access because of its rooftop location.
But the main for concern for firefighters as they fed water down filter pipes to extinguish the flames was whether the fire would travel along the pipes leading into the factory, break through and spark a sawdust explosion.
Mr Hunt said the amount of fine sawdust floating in the air inside the factory could create an environment for a blast similar to a gas explosion.
“If the fire burned out of the pipes there could have been a violent explosion,” he said.
Mr Hunt praised his firefighters and also Jayco management for employing a security guard to monitor the hopper for the rest of the night in case the fire reignited.