Tasmania’s Environment Protection Authority (EPA) is investigating a fire that broke out at a Hobart-based scrap metal recycling facility on Monday.
The fire was brought under control after five hours of firefighting efforts and involved over 200 cubic meters of waste material, including cars and plastic.
The fire prompted a smoke alert in nearby suburbs, and the EPA was called in to assess and advise on the potential environmental impact of the blaze.
In a statement, the authority noted that it worked with the local council, the State Emergency Service and a contractor to minimize the discharge of fire water into nearby waterways, including the Jordan River.
“The incident may have involved breaches of the Environmental Management and Pollution Control Act 1994 (EMPCA).”
“Therefore, the EPA has initiated a formal investigation into the circumstances and impact of this fire to determine whether any of Tasmania’s environmental laws were contravened.”
The facility operator, Recycal, has been ordered to not remove any material from the premises until February 21.
The Tasmania Fire Service has determined that the fire was accidental, with investigations into its cause still ongoing.
Recycal has been reached out to for comment.
Blaze at Bridgewater scrap yard deemed accidental
A fire that broke out at Bellevue Distributors in Bridgewater on Monday afternoon has been determined to be accidental by fire investigators.
The Tasmania Fire Service was alerted to the fire at around 3.00pm and responded with fire crews from Bridgewater, Glenorchy, Hobart and Brighton.
Upon arriving at the scene, the fire crews found a large pile of scrap materials ablaze, as well as a few smaller spot fires in the surrounding grass.
District Officer Mark Dobson reported that there were no injuries, but a large amount of smoke had necessitated a smoke alert for nearby areas.
The fire took fire crews roughly 5 hours to extinguish, with the help of aerial support.
The fire involved around 200 cubic meters of scrap materials, including metal, cars, plastics, and other waste materials.
Fire breaks out at Brighton industrial estate north of Hobart
A fire has broken out at a premise in the Brighton industrial estate, north of Hobart this afternoon.
TasALERT say the fire started shortly after 3pm, with witnesses telling Pulse thick black smoke can be seen billowing into the air.
Fire crews say the fire is believed to have started after an old vehicle that was due to be crushed leaked fuel, which then ignited.
