Fire bosses say no risk of fire getting to hazardous substance at old mill
Monday, 31 August 2020
Fire bosses this afternoon say the fire at the former paper mill in Mataura is not near the ouvea premix which is stored on the site.
“There is no danger of the fire getting near the premix,” incident controller Scott Lindsay said.
The fire is 30 metres away from the premix and down another floor, and is regarded now by the fire service as contained.
The fire was 10m by 10m in size and in a sub-basement area in the hydro generator.
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“We will be extinguishing the fire once we know there is no power being generated in that area,” Lindsay said.
The fire started at 1.40pm.
Fire Emergency New Zealand assistant area manager Scott Lindsay said it was too early to tell how the fire started.
While firefighters were extinguishing the fire, a sprinkler activated at the northern end of the building, and because of that another team of firefighters put on gas suits, Lindsay said.
Water pressure can sometimes trigger a sprinkler, he said.
The best thing was to make sure the building was secure while the premix was removed in stages, Lindsay said.
'Once it's out I'm sure the community will feel a lot safer.'
The fire was 30 metres from the oveau premix and no ammonia gas was detected. Also, the water from the sprinkler did not near the premix.
Fire investigators will go to the mill on Tuesday to determine the cause of the fire.
Extra resources were called to the mill like the hazmat command lab, as well as police officers and staff from Emergency Management Southland and Gore District Council were at the scene.
Gore district mayor Tracy Hicks said the fire was an indication that something needed to happen with the ouvea premix sooner rather than later.
“Currently the product is being moved but it is taking some time … and it is probably the good part of two years to get it out, which in everybody’s mind, and certainly in my mind, too long.”
Hicks was planning to talk to Environment Minister David Parker and update him on the situation to see where he was at with finding an alternative site.
“[The people of Mataura] don’t deserve to be held hostage by what has been a rogue company, leaving them with a mess that we have all had to toss in the money to clean up.”
About 30 firefighters and the Hazmat team are at the site of the old mill. Road diversions have been put in place.
Early reports indicated the fire was “well involved”.
The initial concern about the fire was in regard to the ouvea premix which is stored at the mill.
Taha Asia Pacific was the company that stored 10,000 tonnes of the premix in the former paper mill, and another 10,000 tonnes in warehouses in Invercargill, before it went into liquidation in 2016.
Taha had a contract with Rio Tinto to take dross, which is a byproduct of the smelting process at Tiwai near Bluff, and to turn it into the premix to be used as a fertiliser.
The premix has been a contentious point for Mataura residents who want the substance removed from their town.
The Fenz Hazmat Rescue Command Truck arrived at 2.35pm and firefighters began setting up about 300m from the mill.
There are three fire trucks and at least five police cars on site.
At 2.43pm, the Hazmat truck drove north past the mill, appearing to leave the scene. The three fire trucks are still beside the mill.
Power has also been intermittent in the township since the fire. PowerNet has two vehicles at the mill as well.
Do you have images or video from the fire at Mataura? Send them to news@stl.co.nz
Mataura resident Chris Couzens said there was a strong wind blowing into the fire.
“When the fire first started there was a strong chemical smell, we put masks on.
“The smell is not too bad now but we can still smell it.”
Couzens said he had not been told to evacuate.
Murray Kitto, 74 of Mataura, said he saw smoke coming the building after hearing the fire station alarm and going outside to have a look.
“It did not look good when it started. There was white smoke coming from the building,” Kitto said.
Kitto said it was a “dead right” reminder the ouvea premix should be removed from the building.
Another Mataura resident said it was believed the fire was in the hydro-generator plant’’, which generates electricity for the building.
“There is smoke everywhere, there is smoke coming out of the chimneys and there are firemen heading in all directions,’’ she said.
Mataura resident Lana Rangi said she was at Mataura School, where the children were being let out early because of road diversions.
Rangi said she had not seen any smoke but there were police cars throughout the township on either side of the bridge.
A statement from the Gore District Council says it had been advised of the fire, which forced the closure of the Mataura Bridge.
“There is a detour in place at Kaiwera Rd for southbound traffic. Our roading team says Kaiwera Rd is sealed with no bridge weight restrictions, therefore is suitable for heavy transport.”
An attendant at Mataura Caltex said it had lost power and it was likely it would be closing for the day.
The Caltex petrol station was too far away from the fire to notice smoke but there were a lot of police cars and road diversions in place, he said.
A Mataura business owner said there had been power cuts off and on since the fire started.
In July, emergency services were called to the former paper mill because of a burst sprinkler.
The Environmental Defence Society has filed proceedings with the Environment Court, which is due to start hearing the case next week. It will determine whether the New Zealand Aluminium Smelter is responsible for the removal of ouvea premix.