Chemical fire forces evacuation of 150 Australians
- 13 years ago
ROUGH CUT - NO REPORTER NARRATION.
A chemical fire at a factory in Canberra, Australia forced the evacuation of about 150 residents on Friday, as authorities took precautions against the threat of toxic fumes.
The fire started just before midnight on Thursday.
At one stage, fire-fighters were forced to withdraw due to the intensity of the blaze, but later were able to return to get the fire under control.
An unidentified resident described the incident.
"It was pitch black and all we could see was orange flames up in the sky. We could feel the explosions like rocking the show ground, just like really loud bangs like a bomb or something was going off," she said.
A 10 kilometre exclusion zone around the factory was reduced to 300 metres, as atmospheric tests found undetectable levels of chemical phosgene, the by-product of burning PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl).
Fire authorities were to test the air throughout the day, and schools remained closed across the north of the city.
A chemical fire at a factory in Canberra, Australia forced the evacuation of about 150 residents on Friday, as authorities took precautions against the threat of toxic fumes.
The fire started just before midnight on Thursday.
At one stage, fire-fighters were forced to withdraw due to the intensity of the blaze, but later were able to return to get the fire under control.
An unidentified resident described the incident.
"It was pitch black and all we could see was orange flames up in the sky. We could feel the explosions like rocking the show ground, just like really loud bangs like a bomb or something was going off," she said.
A 10 kilometre exclusion zone around the factory was reduced to 300 metres, as atmospheric tests found undetectable levels of chemical phosgene, the by-product of burning PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl).
Fire authorities were to test the air throughout the day, and schools remained closed across the north of the city.