The sister of a man who died at the site of a huge factory fire in Melbourne almost a year earlier has said “that place should not be running”.
The monster chemical blaze was sparked by a big explosion at the Derrimut site, in the city’s west, on Wednesday, and sent drums rocketing into the air.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Derrimut factory fire triggers toxic waterway warning.
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Incredibly, no one was injured in the city’s biggest fire in years.
But the damage was clear, with helicopter footage showing several walls had collapsed and part of the roof had caved in.
It is the second time there has been a fire at the site, with one worker dying and two others injured in a blaze at the same building in October.
On Wednesday, the sister of the dead worker wrote on social media: “Same place my brother died in October last year. That place should not be running”.
The company involved, ACB Group, has not responded to requests for comment.
About 20 firefighters and five appliances remain on the scene on Friday.
Their efforts to suppress hotspots have been made all the more difficult by contamination concerns and fears standing sections of the structure could collapse.
Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) Deputy Commissioner Josh Fischer said authorities could remain there for weeks.
“This is a complex and dangerous environment,” he said.
“There are a lot of hazards associated with this incident so we’re taking extreme caution and care as we manage those risks for our firefighters from the time of the incident and into the future.
“Firefighting is a strenuous activity, particularly over a long duration wearing breathing apparatuses in hot environments and stressful conditions.
“This was a massive, well-coordinated team effort to bring this incident under control in just over four hours with no impact to adjoining buildings in terms of fire spread.”
There is no indication the fire was suspicious, according to FRV.
More than three million litres of water and 40,000 litres of foam have been used to suppress Wednesday’s fire, with fire water runoff causing concern for local waterways.
The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) warned that people and pets should avoid Cherry Creek, Anderson’s Swamp and Kayes Drain until further notice.
The EPA is also working with Melbourne Water to reduce the impacts to Truganina Swamp, Cherry Lake and Laverton Creek.
Wastewater has been pumped away from the site and sandbags have been used to block local stormwater drains.
Booms are also in place to limit firewater runoff seeping downstream.
“EPA will be conducting tests to determine the extent of any pollution and will keep the community informed,” EPA agency commander Steve Lansdell said on Thursday.
“This is an ongoing and dynamic situation.
“We will be liaising with community groups who will naturally be concerned their local environment has been adversely affected by another chemical pollution incident.”
The authority urged people to wash surfaces and any fruit and vegetables before eating them.
The factory included a warehouse that stored drums containing kerosene, methylated spirits, methanol and other substances.
The EPA has issued the site with two notices and inspected it nine times since the fire that was sparked by an explosion in October and found it compliant.
EPA and Worksafe investigations into the 2023 fire continue, while a Worksafe spokesperson on Thursday said the authority would determine any further potential action over the most recent blaze at an appropriate time.
– With AAP