Up in smoke

By Lia Bichel
A DOZEN fire trucks and 60 firefighters battled a factory blaze in Ordish Road, Dandenong last week.
When they arrived at the burning Wanless Enviro Services at 7.10am on 8 January the factory was well alight and they had to fight for 40 minutes to contain the blaze. Clean-up work continued until 12.30pm.
“Upon arrival, there was a pile of rubbish on fire inside the factory,” Fire Officer Mark Kennedy said.
“It’s not 100 per cent clear, but it appears that, during normal operations, someone put flammable liquid in the waste.
“When someone moved the drum of waste inside the factory, a spark was created and the fire began.”
Mr Kennedy said it was fortunate that there was only minimal structural damage to a quarter of the factory. He said factory workers and general public should take proper precautions to prevent similar situations.
“People should be reminded to not put hazardous materials in general waste,” he said.
“Factory workers should familiarise themselves with their safety equipment and know where the exits are in the building in case of a fire.”
Calls by Star to Wanless Enviro Services were not returned.