Fire puts heat on shire

SURF Coast Shire Council has been slapped with an $8000 fine after an inferno broke out at its Anglesea landfill site last month.

Environmental Protection Agency officers attended the Coalmine Rd site on October 7 at the request of CFA, after tip operators noticed waste burning in a section of the landfil that had not been used for almost two years.

Six tankers were needed to bring the blaze under control.

CFA thermal imaging showed the fire’s hotspot had reached temperatures of up to 100 degrees Celsius. But the contracted tip operator had no formal procedure for checking for hot spots in the fire-hit section, only using thermal imaging on the active tipping area.

EPA south west manager Carolyn Francis said hotspot monitoring had now been expanded to include the older waste areas.

“The waste that burnt was approximately 18 months old, so out of sight still needs to be front of mind for operators,” she said.

Under the Environment Protection Act 1970 and the Infringements Act 2008, Surf Coast Shire Council has the right to have the fine reviewed or determined by a court.

Ms Francis said the site operator co-operated with emer- gency services and EPA and the fire was quickly extinguished.

The council’s governance and infrastructure general manager Anne Howard said there were not plans to contest the fine.

“Council will review and act on recommendations from the EPA investigation, and has updated site fire management to include heat sensor monitoring of non-active tipping areas,” Ms Howard said.

“Council appreciated the response and support of the Country Fire Authority and the site contractor on the day, and has lessons to learn from the event.”