16 November 2012

Mulch fire at Canberra Sand and Gravel

| johnboy
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ACT Fire & Rescue are currently on scene at a mulch fire at the business location of Canberra, Sand and Gravel, Parkwood.

The fire is currently 30, 000 cubic meters in size.

Currently four fire pumpers and a command vehicle on scene controlling the blaze.

Update to follow.

7:21 PM

Fire fighting operations are continuing at the site of the mulch fire located on Parkwood Drive, Holt, Belconnen.

There are currently two fire pumpers, two Compressed Air Foam Units (CAFS) and a command vehicle on scene fighting the blaze.

Update to follow

7:41 PM

ACT Fire and Rescue have now extinguished 30% of the mulch fire.

Additional resources have been dispatched to the scene on Parkwood Drive, Holt. Currently on scene are two fire pumpers, two Compressed Air Fire Units (CAFS), one water tanker and one command vehicle.

Update to follow.

7:58 PM

ACT Fire & Rescue have now extinguished 60% of the mulch fire.

No neighbouring properties or assets are under threat from the fire.

The ACT Rural Fire Service (ACTRFS) are assisting on scene with a bulk water carrier providing support.

Update to follow.

8:24 PM

ACT Fire & Rescue have now complete control of the mulch fire with fire fighting efforts to cease shortly.

No damage to structure or assests have been reported.

9:00 PM

ACT Fire & Rescue have now extinguished a fire which started in a mulch pile at Canberra Sand and Gravel (Belconnen) this evening.

The fire covered an area of up to 30, 000 cubic meters.

The cause of the fire is believed to have been spontaneous combustion.

Fire crews will stay on scene to conduct mop-up operations and monitor the pile for possible re-ignitions.

The ACT State Emergency Service (ACTSES) are assisting operations, providing lighting and operational support.

9:23 PM

[Courtesy ESA]

If you have pictures please send them in to images@the-riotact.com .

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The cat did it said :

30,000 cubic meters??? then I should have been able to see the fire from Woden. That’s as much as a rectangular-section pile 5 meters by 6 meters by 1000 meters (ie 1km) long? Possibly someone’s got their decimal point and comma mixed up, and it’s 30.000 meters in area, ie about 5m by 6m- still a respectable pile, and capable of spontaneously combusting.

Agree it does sound a lot, 30000m3 is over 1000 of the smallish tippers they use. But then again 30000m3 can also be a pile roughly 55x55m 10m high, so not quite as dramatic as your 1km long stack. So who knows really it may well be right.

The cat did it said :

30,000 cubic meters??? then I should have been able to see the fire from Woden. That’s as much as a rectangular-section pile 5 meters by 6 meters by 1000 meters (ie 1km) long? Possibly someone’s got their decimal point and comma mixed up, and it’s 30.000 meters in area, ie about 5m by 6m- still a respectable pile, and capable of spontaneously combusting.

This wasn’t someone’s back yard, this is a place that processes material on an industrial scale. The area of the pile could have been 50mx50m, which would make it 12m high. That said, it’s possible the 30,000 figure may have been an estimate rather than an accurate volumetric measurement.

The cat did it7:03 pm 18 Nov 12

30,000 cubic meters??? then I should have been able to see the fire from Woden. That’s as much as a rectangular-section pile 5 meters by 6 meters by 1000 meters (ie 1km) long? Possibly someone’s got their decimal point and comma mixed up, and it’s 30.000 meters in area, ie about 5m by 6m- still a respectable pile, and capable of spontaneously combusting.

bundah said :

m_ratt said :

bundah said :

Cubic ‘meters’? You know things are slow on the news front when spelling becomes the focus.

How about the mathematics of it? – an _area_ of 30,000 cubic metres.

Come to think of it, they said the fire was 30,000 cubic metres in size which is an odd measure to use. Normally they would describe the area on fire in square metres.

Yeah a bush/grass fire might be measure in square meters/acres/hectares. However in the case the substance burning is a “solid” mountain of material so cubic metres makes perfect sense in this case.

muscledude_oz4:23 pm 18 Nov 12

bundah said :

Cubic ‘meters’? You know things are slow on the news front when spelling becomes the focus.

Someone forgot to switch the spellcheck from US to Aust English.

m_ratt said :

bundah said :

Cubic ‘meters’? You know things are slow on the news front when spelling becomes the focus.

How about the mathematics of it? – an _area_ of 30,000 cubic metres.

Come to think of it, they said the fire was 30,000 cubic metres in size which is an odd measure to use. Normally they would describe the area on fire in square metres.

bundah said :

Cubic ‘meters’? You know things are slow on the news front when spelling becomes the focus.

How about the mathematics of it? – an _area_ of 30,000 cubic metres.

Woody Mann-Caruso12:24 pm 18 Nov 12

Too much s***?
What’s the flash point of mulch?
dung piles always catch fire

Issa would approve.

Cubic ‘meters’? You know things are slow on the news front when spelling becomes the focus.

Too much shit?
What’s the flash point of mulch?
dung piles always catch fire

Who forgot to turn the mulch pile?

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