The following accountappears in the December 1998 issue of the NSW RFS Publication “Bushfire Bulletin”.
CHEMICAL FIRE AT WILBERFORCE
At 2216hrs on Sunday 12th July, 1998, Hawkesbury Fire Control received advice from 000 of a structure alight in the Woodlands Industrial Estate, WIiberforce. The township of Wilberforce has over 100 homes and light industry and is located In the City of Hawkesbury approximately 60km north west of Sydney.
The local Wilberforce Rural Fire Brigade responded at 2220hrs with their Cal.1 and Cal. 7 tankers. En route to the fire we observed a large orange glow and thick black smoke In the direction of the industrial estate, At this stage we realised that this was no ordinary structural fire.
Upon arrival at 2227hrs, our worst fears were confirmed. We found a large factory complex on fire inside the Woodlands Industrial Estate. We observed that the fire was extremely volatile, showering exploding material on an area approximately 100m from the main fire.
Fortunately, the Brigade had prepared a comprehensive pre-fire plan of the industrial estate six months earlier. From the plan we identified the factory complex on fire as a liquid drum recycling plant.
The plan confirmed that a substantial number of drums containing dangerous goods was stored on the site, including drums of ethanol, white spirit, mentholated spirits, thinners and other flammable substances, creating a dangerous cocktail during the fire.
At this lime a detailed sitrep was provided to Hawkesbury Fire Control and a request was made for urgent assistance.
The Police arrived shortly after and immediately arranged to evacuate an area within a 1 km radius of the fire. Police also directed their efforts at controlling large numbers of spectators and road closures.
Due to the size and ferocity of the fire and the known dangerous goods on-site, it was decided very early to pull back to a safe location and determine a defensive strategy to contain the fire. A command post was established 200m from the fire area. As further fire and other emergency service units arrived, a staging area was established to manage the incoming units until an overall strategy was developed.
At the command post, the fire was declared a hazardous materials incident. As the NSW Fire Brigade is the designated combat agency for managing hazardous materials incidents in NSW, responsibility for control of the fire was passed over to the senior NSWFB Inspector on site, with Hawkesbury RFS taking on a supporting role. The NSWFB, in collaboration with Hawkesbury RFS decided upon a strategy to cool the fire from two locations using ground monitors. It was also decided to isolate the power to the estate and boost the reticulated water system to establish increased water pressure.
Hawkesbury RFS units were deployed to a safe location on the upwind side of the fire with a total of 9 tankers relay pumping from a dam to supply three ground monitors. NSWFB units utilising breathing apparatus were deployed on the downwind side of the fire using reticulated water to supply ground monitors and hose streams.
The fire continued to burn for many hours into the following morning. At approximately 0600hrs the majority of the RFS units were stood down by the NSWFB. Wilberforce Rural Fire Brigade remained on the scene with a small number of NSWFB units.
At the height of the fire, Hawkesbury RFS had committed 8 Brigades. 2 Group Officers, DFCO and the Catering unit. A total of 554 manhours were spent by Hawkesbury RFS fighting the fire. The NSWFB committed 10 pumpers, 3 BA, lighting and Hazmat units, Sky Jet, Fire Command bus and Media Liaison unit. Other services at the scene included the EPA, Sydney Water, NSW Health Department, local Council, Workcover, Police and Ambulance.
The total area destroyed by the fire was approximately 1 ha, including an adjoining factory unit. This does not include the immediate and potential long-term damage from chemicals to the local creeks and the wider catchment. At the time of writing this report, the cause of the fire is yet to be determined, however investigations are continuing. De-contamination and clean-up of the area has commenced with the EPA and NSWFB Hazmat unit overseeing the works with assistance from Wilberforce Rural Fire Brigade and the local SES. The EPA has also commenced monitoring and testing of the local creeks to ascertain the extent of contamination.
This was by far the single largest chemical fire in the Hawkesbury to date. The potential for serious injury and greater property damage was ever present. However, it was without doubt, the quick response of the Hawkesbury RFS and other emergency services combined with earlier pre-fire planning, judicious fire ground management and excellent co-operation between the services that averted what could have been a major disaster.