Silo fire at Werris Creek
Published: 19th November 2007
This morning firefighters from Werris Creek, Tamworth, West Tamworth, Quirindi and Gunnedah were responded to a silo fire in Silo Road, Werris Creek. On arrival black smoke could be seen coming from the grain elevator shaft. Evacuation of the site commenced and an exclusion zone of 800 metres was established, causing the evacuation of several local homes, the golf course and the closure of local roads and rail networks. The situation within the silo was monitored using a thermal image camera, a gas detector and a laser thermometer from Tamworth's Hazmat vehicle. Fire crews accessed the top of the silo and determined that the fire was contained to the elevator shaft and involved a rubber conveyor belt. A fire hose was taken to the top of the silo, an access hatch to the elevator shaft was opened and a light spray of water was applied to completely extinguish the fire. The incident was completed late in the afternoon.