Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
ABC News
ABC News
National

Exclusion zone maintained after firefighters bring Bundaberg industrial fire under control

Industrial fire rages in Kalkie, Bundaberg East (Grace Whiteside and Patrick Heaghney)

An emergency declaration remains in place after firefighters brought an industrial fire under control at Kalkie in Bundaberg's East. 

The ABC understands the fire started at the Lindsay Brothers Transport depot on Zielke Avenue just after 3pm Thursday. 

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) said plastic pallets and gas bottles were on fire when crews arrived at the scene. 

An emergency declaration was made under the Public Safety Preservation Action just after 4pm Thursday, which established an exclusion zone around Sauers Road, Presslers Road, Bargara Road and Gahans Road. 

Police said the exclusion zone was evacuated and residents were urged to follow emergency service instructions. 

Multiple emergency crews are at the scene of the fire on Zielke Avenue, Bundaberg East.  (ABC Wide Bay: Audrey Courty)

Nearby residents are advised to keep their windows and doors closed due to large volumes of thick smoke in the area. 

Bundaberg resident Anne Hadley was at her home on Zielke Avenue when the fire broke out and heard multiple explosions. 

"The ground shook with each [explosion] and I thought, 'Is someone dropping bombs?'" she said. 

"And then I looked up and I could see the black smoke starting to come up.

"There's just explosions continuing, even little ones that you can hear as gas bottles and other things are going up, but this was so big it shook the house."

A school is on the same road where the fire is burning. (ABC Wide Bay: Audrey Courty)

Ms Hadley said the explosions at the transport depot have continued to go off since after 3pm. 

"They've managed to get some trucks out ... all the workers from Lindsay [Transport] were out on the road when the big explosion went," she said. 

It is understood the fire started at the Lindsay Brothers Transport depot.  (ABC Wide Bay: Audrey Courty)

The site of the fire is on the same road as the Kalkie State School and is lined with other residential homes. 

"Fortunately, school pick-up had finished by the time this happened, so by the time police came in and closed the road down, there really weren't took many school people coming in," Ms Hadley said. 

Multiple Queensland Fire and Emergency Services crews are currently on the scene, trying to control the fire and protect nearby properties. 

Motorists are advised to drive with caution and to conditions. 

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.