By Violet Li
A fire was detected at the Stevensons Brothers Industries (SBI) landfill in Cranbourne around 10pm Thursday 2 November.
Fire Rescue Victoria brought the fire under control around 12.30am on 3 November with no person harmed.
EPA attended the scene and stated the fire was located at the transfer station, also known as Waste Resource and Recovery Facility, and not the landfill itself.
Police investigations are continuing, while it was advised the cause pointed to arson.
No pollution control equipment was damaged by the fire.
Approximately 40 to 50 tonnes of waste was burnt and smoke odours from the site are likely to be short term.
SBI stated they had contained all solid and liquid waste impacted by the fire and the firewater was collected and disposed offsite by a licensed waste contractor.
SBI is getting approval to dispose of the solid fire impacted waste into the landfill.
The location of the fire within the transfer station has been cleared with all surface residue removed and applied to the contained solid impacted waste, pending appropriate disposal.
SBI intends to provide residents a more comprehensive update in the following week.
EPA will continue their investigation into the incident and ensure SBI manages the remaining water and waste so that there is no impact to community and environment.
In August this year, EPA took legal action against the landfill operator for a range of non-compliance with Victoria’s environment protection laws.
The landfill has been emitting odour since early 2022.
The odour with a rotting-egg smell was confirmed to be hydrogen sulphide.
EPA will run an online community information session on Monday 13 November between 6pm and 7pm to provide further information on the regulation of the landfill.
For more information on the SBI landfill investigation, visit epa.vic.gov.au/for-community/incidents/sbi-inert-landfill
