Three people were treated for a heart attack, heat exposure and smoke inhalation after a fire tore through a shed with ammunition inside at Sebastopol last night, spewing toxic black smoke into the air.
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CFA crews were called out to the scene on Albert Street about 9pm, finding the structure fully engulfed in flames as Ballarat sweltered through intense heat.
Residents were warned to keep the roads clear so emergency services could respond as plumes of black smoke crept north towards Ballarat’s southern suburbs.
The owner of the property told firefighters there was ammunition and welding gas bottles stored in the shed, so crews decided to fight the blaze from a distance.
Meanwhile, as firefighters battled the fire, a man tripped on a nearby fence and suffered a heart attack.
Firefighters put their hoses down and used their emergency medical response training, caring for the man before an ambulance arrived on scene.
Paramedics treated the heart attack victim and the owner of the shed for smoke inhalation after he had attempted to douse the blaze before fire trucks were called in.
Thursday’s heat along with the shed fire was so intense that one firefighter also suffered from heat exposure.
Ballarat City Fire Station senior officer Adam Baker said on Friday morning his colleague was treated at the scene.
“The fire did pose some challenges, there was a few explosions after ammunition detonated, prompting defensive firefighting tactics,” he said.
“We had injuries. One firefighter was treated for heat exposure, a resident was treated for smoke inhalation and a third civilian tripped over a fence and suffered a heart attack.
“Firefighters provided treatment to him before an ambulance arrived, and we had a specialist unit from Smythesdale called in, a truck we use when it’s really hot to re-hydrate firefighters that carries special cooling equipment.”
The blaze was brought under control about 9.40pm.
Police attended the scene, but officers said on Friday morning it was believed the ammunition was legally stored.
Today is a total fire ban for Ballarat, with CFA firefighters on high alert.
Emergency Management commissioner Craig Lapsley has called on residents to look out for each other.