By Shamsiya Hussainpoor
In the early hours of Monday, October 28, the Kallista-The Patch CFA and Belgrave Fire Brigade were called to a fire involving a spray unit on a truck on Monbulk Road – firefighters quickly responded to bring the situation under control.
While they managed to extinguish the flames and save the truck, the heat caused a leak in the chemical tank, leading to a hazmat situation.
Kallista CFA captain Luke Maclean said they were on the scene for over six hours.
“At around 4.20 this morning, we were paged along with Belgrave to respond to a fire involving a motorised spray unit on Monbulk Road, when we arrived, the cabin area of the spray unit was fully engulfed in flames,” Mr Maclean said.
“We got there in time to stop the fire from spreading to the truck, but the spray tank had developed a leak.”
This caused a full hazmat response, involving crews from Fire Rescue Victoria’s Station 88 and several other units, along with CFA commanders, Ambulance Victoria, police, and Melbourne Water, they also notified the EPA to ensure the safe handling of the chemicals involved.
Special thanks were given to the Forest Fire Management Victoria crews from Knoxfield for their assistance with a skid steer.
“Thankfully, there were no injuries, and the work was done safely, the truck operator was safe and very helpful during the incident,” the captain said.
The Sassafras-Ferny Creek Fire Brigade, Ambulance Victoria, Victoria Police, Melbourne Water, CFA volunteer fire investigators, and the FRV/CFA scientific officer also attended to assist.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but it is not considered suspicious and is believed to have resulted from a malfunction in the machine.
“Our thoughts are with the business affected by the fire, and we thank the owner for their assistance on site,” Mr Maclean said.
Both of our initial responding teams are fully volunteer, and we’re currently recruiting, we’re fully trained and equipped to handle hazmat incidents safely.
If you’re interested in volunteering at your local CFA station, now is a great time to join, call Kallista CFA at (03) 9752 1189 or email them at kallistacfa@gmail.com.
