The NSW EPA has extended an exclusion zone around the site of a fire-ruined hazardous waste factory in western Sydney amid testing for contamination of waterways.
More than 200 firefighters braved a ‘rain’ of fist-sized chunks of concrete after a fireball erupted at the Cooper’s Environmental Waste Recycling plant on Kurrajong Road, North St Marys, on Saturday, November 29.
According to Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW), it was one of the biggest fires they had to fight in western Sydney for years.
The NSW Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says the larger exclusion zone will allow them to conduct more testing for signs of hazardous chemicals, including for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
The agency says PCBs were stored at the facility and are hazardous to those who come into direct contact with it; PCBs were used in transformers as coolants but have been banned since the 1980s.
EPA DIRECTIVE
The EPA has given a Clean Up Notice to the company which calls for immediate action to seal pollution on site and to dispose of affected material. A specialist contractor has been hired to deploy sucker trucks and remove contaminated fire water and sludge from nearby waterways, including adjacent culverts near Kurrajong Road and further sites downstream. The business is also required to hire a qualified environmental consultant to assess the impact on nearby waterways, provide an inventory of chemicals stored on site at the time and ensure the safe disposal of all waste.
“As a precaution, we extended the exclusion zone to include the length of South Creek from the facility down to the mouth of the Hawkesbury River,” the FRNSW says.
The exclusion is on top of a public warning on Tuesday, December 2, to avoid the creek that runs adjacent to the site and up to three kilometres of South Creek downstream, from Kingsway Playing Fields to Dunheved Golf Course.
The EPA is watching for signs of dissolved oxygen in South Creek and also wants the public to avoid any waste, oil residues or affected waterways.
It says residents who find any material on their properties that they think may be from the fire should avoid direct contact and report it to the Environment Line on 131 555.
NSW Health says that if you have direct contact with the waterway or material from the fire, you must wash your skin with soap and water.
Road closures and exclusion zones remain in place; residents in the surrounding area are being advised to avoid local waterways entirely while businesses are being advised on actions to take if they have been affected.
Affected businesses should seek advice from qualified professionals, such as occupational hygienists, to understand site-specific risks, the EPA says.
Residents can contact the Environment Line for further information or click here to check the St Marys page on their website.
WATCH THE VIDEO: Watch the FRNSW video of the fire with on-site interview
RAINING CONCRETE
According to the FRNSW, a huge fireball erupted at the plant and sent flames up to 150 metres into the sky just before 11pm on Saturday.
A large chemical tank was blown into the air and fist-sized chunks of concrete blocks rained down on firefighters, it says.
More than 50 fire units were called as crews battled the flames from all sides, defending from holes blown out of neighbouring buildings.
Two firefighters suffered minor injuries to their hands, the FRNSW says.
Units from across Sydney were called to the scene, including five water towers to battle the flames from above, as other fire trucks pumped water by relay.
Hazardous materials (HAZMAT) crews dealt with burning chemicals while EPA, police and ambulance crews were on the scene.
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