Sheridan Rose Shaw thought she’d picked the ideal spot to open her beauty salon in Footscray – until the old Kinnears factory next door caught fire twice in the past month. “I was just terrified that the fire was literally coming for us,” she said. “Because it just kept getting bigger and bigger.
” Sheridan Rose Shaw opened a salon next to the former Kinnears factory in Footscray, which has caught fire twice in the past fortnight. Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui Shaw is one of many angry western suburbs residents accusing the environmental watchdog and the state government of ignoring the problems that regular toxic chemical fires – leading to air pollution and tainted water runoff from battling the blazes – are causing in the area. Recent fires include one at a plant operated by a chemical blending company in Derrimut , a plastics warehouse in Deer Park and the abandoned Kinnears rope factory.
More than 180 firefighters responded to the Derrimut fire with some presenting to hospitals for exposure to chemicals afterwards. VicEmergency declared a “watch and act” warning for nearby suburbs because of the thick toxic smoke. Loading Laverton and Cherry Creeks were both affected by firewater run-off, with about 3 million litres of water and 40,000 litres of foam used to battle the blaze.
The Anti-Toxic Waste Alliance – a group of 39 community groups and organisations – claims Western suburbs residents have been left in the dark about the activities being undertaken at these sites and what is being done to minimise the risks to human health and the environment. President Colleen Hartland said there had been a spate of fires in recent few months. “We just feel like it is all the time,” she said.
“We’re always being put at risk. Government and the agencies just don’t seem particularly bothered about our safety.” Hartland said residents often did not know where chemical warehouses were because there was no transparency in the planning.
“It’s the western suburbs and we don’t count,” she said. “We are still seen by agencies, and the government as not having a great value. So it’s ‘OK, whack all the toxic industry here’.
“You’re never going to find this stuff in Kew or Hawthorn or Portsea. It’s just never going to happen.” Public interest legal organisation Environmental Justice Australia has written to the EPA and state Environment Minister Steve Dimopoulos claiming the watchdog had failed to take proactive measures to prevent harm to human health and the environment and instead relied on cleaning up pollution after fires.
The aftermath of the ACB chemical fire in Derrimut. Credit: Justin McManus “It is scandalous that large-scale and catastrophic fires and pollution events continue to occur periodically, if not routinely, across Melbourne’s western suburbs,” the letter, seen by The Age, states. “In circumstances where two industrial fires have ignited in the space of 10 days and, critically, one of those facilities was the subject of EPA compliance and enforcement measures, it is clear that the laws are not working as intended.
” Shaw said when the Kinnears factory fires happened, she did not know what to do or if she needed to evacuate. Loading She said there had been little information since the fires. “I just spent $500,000 on this fit-out so, fear just ran through all my body.
It was a really, really big fire.” Gavin Marshall, who has worked as a firefighter for 13 years and lives in the western suburbs, worries about his family’s health when chemical fires occur. “We’re experiencing a lot of resource issues in [Fire Rescue Victoria], and we’ve got a really reduced capability to respond to these fires and knock them down effectively in the early stages,” he said.
“It’s a concern for me as a firefighter that these are ongoing and we’re just not being properly resourced to be able to effectively do our job.“ In July, The Age reported that equipment failures and missing gear had hampered the battle against the Derrimut blaze, with the firefighters’ union embroiled in a long-running battle over resources with the state government. A spokesman for the EPA said it had the strongest powers it has ever had and the “exact situation” with the Derrimut and Deer Park blazes were still under investigation.
“Putting a focus on prevention is the right approach, giving EPA capacity to hold polluters to account and includes taking action so the polluter pays the cost of any clean-ups,” he said. “Keeping the community informed is our highest priority.” A state government spokesman said the EPA had responded immediately to assist fire services at both sites and to deploy air and water quality monitoring to keep local communities informed of potential hazards.
“Now they are working with WorkSafe Victoria and Fire Services Victoria to investigate the fire and will take action if environmental laws have been broken,” he said. “We’ve strengthened the EPA’s powers to identify and prosecute polluters – our strict environmental laws apply right across the state and are all addressed with urgency. “The EPA’s focus on prevention works to stop incidents before damage is done and ensure industry is working to the highest environmental standards.
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License this article City life Fire Pollution For subscribers Melbourne Cara Waters is the city editor for The Age. Connect via Twitter , Facebook or email . Most Viewed in National Loading.
