Firefighters geared up to handle dangerous chemicals after a skip full of sterilisation equipment burst into flames inside a Dunedin building yesterday.
With that knowledge, emergency services prepared to handle the hazard and any potential chemical exposure crews might face, which included having a large portable shower on standby to drench firefighters and clean them off.
The fire at Interwaste Dunedin in Ward St was attended by five fire appliances about 10.30am.
Senior station officer Pete Douglas said a skip inside the building had caught fire, filling it with smoke, and upon arrival occupants informed emergency services the bin was used for the sterilisation waste, which was a potential bio-hazard.
Firefighters gather outside Interwaste in Ward St where a skip containing a potential biohazard caught fire yesterday. PHOTO: STEPHEN JAQUIERY
Despite the nature of refuse in the skip, it was determined to not be a bio-hazard and emergency services downgraded the alarm level and two firefighters extinguished the fire with the help of support crews.
The fire started in the skip and the company it belonged too was making inquiries as to how it occurred, he said.
A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokeswoman said crews had left the scene by about 1.20pm.
