A hazard alert has been issued over a major chemical spill in Melbourne’s western suburbs that firefighters have been battling for almost three days.
Fire Rescue Victoria first responded to the incident at the headquarters of agricultural chemical giant Nufarm on Pipe Road in Laverton North on Friday, and said at the time users of nearby premises might notice an odour due to a hazardous liquid spill.
Successive alerts were then issued on Friday night and throughout Saturday before FRV and Vic Emergency updated their warnings on Sunday morning, advising residents of Altona North and Laverton North to stay informed due to a wind change blowing fumes towards Kororoit Creek Road.
“There is currently no threat to the community, but you should continue to stay informed and monitor conditions,” the alert reads.
Noticer News understands the chemical involved is methylamine, which is used to make pesticides, and the incident occurred due to “equipment failure” at a production facility, although emergency services are yet to confirm the nature and cause of the spill.
Nufarm is yet to comment on the spill, which is the first major incident at the facility in 15 years.
In 2011 a worker in his died at the site after being sprayed with a toxic chemical used to make weed killer when a section of interior pipe burst, and Nufarm was issued with five improvement notices by WorkSafe Victoria.
Three FRV also responded to a non-structure fire within the alert zone on Sunday afternoon.
Header image: The current alert area (Vic Emergency).
The post Residents warned as firefighters battle major chemical spill in Melbourne first appeared on The Noticer.
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