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Canberra Today 19°/21° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Mitchell lockdown continues

THE exclusion zone around Mitchell will be maintained over the weekend as the ACT Fire Brigade continues oprations at the Energy Service International factory site over the next few days to ensure Friday’s terrible fire remains extinguished.

The brigade says there is no risk to the Canberra community, who are free to carry out outdoor activities as usual.

However, some roads remain closed until further notice; they are Sanford Street, Wells Station Road, Flemington Road from Morisset Road, Mitchell.

The business, which works with materials including oil from electricity transformers, caught alight before midnight on Friday.  

Fire fighters attacked the blaze with foam. ACT Fire Brigade said explosions continued through firefighting operations until the fire was extinguished.

Fire fighters initially feared that the chemical Phosgene was within the smoke of the fire, however further testing has found there was no sign of the chemical.

Residue including oil and firefighting material from the site was identified in the Flemington Road ponds. The area was isolated and contaminated water removed.

All schools north of Lake Burley Griffin were closed.

The Environment Protection Authority has been conducting tests of all waterways leading into Lake Burley Griffin

“CityNews” general manager Greg Jones was lying sleeplessly in bed around 1.30am on Friday when he heard what he describes as “rumbling noises, like a garage door being opened”. Thinking it was a security issue, he went outside and saw a huge plume of white smoke and the sound of explosions and balls of flames. Grabbing his camera, he drove the three kilometres from his Palmerston home to Mitchell and got within a block of the fire.

“There were people everywhere, fire engines lining the road, and through the trees I could see flashing lights close to the fire.

“The heat was too intense for the fire brigade to approach the fire.

“Police were trying to move people on, some were reluctant to leave. However, if it had been a toxic situation, it would have been catastrophic because there were so many people near the fire. I left when the police asked me to go.”

Did you see the fire? Send your pics to ed@citynews.com.au

 

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