By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Four people have been hospitalised and one is “unaccounted for” as firefighters fought a black-smoking fire at a paint factory in Superior Drive, Dandenong South.
At least 44 fire appliances and 120 fire-fighters descended on the blaze that ignited shortly before noon on Friday 8 December.
A factory worker is missing and unaccounted for, with a second believed to be safe.
Ambulance Victoria stated four people were hospitalised, including three men with upper body injuries. A man in his 60s was taken in a stable condition to The Alfred, and two men in their 30s and 40s were also in a stable condition at Dandenong Hospital.
Another person was taken to The Alfred hospital.
Two of the injured were factory workers.
Two were firefighters treated for minor injuries, according to Fire Rescue Victoria.
An emergency message was issued by Fire Rescue Victoria for anyone in the industrial estate surrounding Hammond Road to take shelter indoors immediately.
A watch and act message was also issued for people in Dandenong South, Lyndhurst and Bangholme.
Strong winds blew the smoke in a southerly direction.
Eyewitness Dom Bocarri said the dark smoke looked “very toxic”.
“I’ve never seen anything like it in Dandenong. It looks like rubber or something.”
He said it underlined the need for residents to get timely warnings of emergencies such as this.
Another eyewitness Ebony Everitt, who works in another factory just north of the fire’s location, was evacuated along with her co-workers after management ordered the factory to close for the day.
“Before the alert went, the boss saw enough and thought it was too dangerous to keep operating, he said he wanted everyone to go home, we’ll pay you for the rest of the day.” she said.
“It was like a volcano going off in the middle of Dandenong, I saw the smoke and my stomach just dropped.“
She said on the way home she could still clearly the dark smoke from as far as Endeavour Hills.
“FRV firefighters are responding to a significant fire at a paint factory on Superior Drive, Dandenong,“ an FRV spokesperson said at 1pm.
“Crews arrived shortly after 12pm and immediately escalated the response.
“Victoria Police and Ambulance Victoria are also on scene.“
