Alfredton mulch fire: residents told to close doors and windows

A green waste mulch fire in Alfredton on Friday is believed to have been caused by heat build-up in windy conditions.

UPDATE, 3.45pm: Alfredton residents are being told to close all their doors and windows after a fire that has been burning all day flared up.

Helicopters were called in to fight the blaze just after 3pm after it increased in size in windy conditions.

The mulch fire, which first took off just before 6am, has been burning all day and firefighters have been at the Learmonth Street site the entire time.

The fire is still listed as being contained.

The cause of the fire is believed to be through a heat build-up in the wind droves, causing green mulch waste to catch alight, according to Fire Rescue Victoria.

A 'watch and act' warning has now been issued for the immediate area surrounding the fire, while the larger scaled 'advice' warning also remains in place.

People in the orange zone on the VicEmergency page are warned to close all exterior doors and windows and close vents and ensure that heating and cooling systems are turned off.

There is a heavy smoke presence in the area and it is expected to remain for some time.

The incident is not being treated as suspicious and the watch and act alert has been in response to the amount of smoke in the area.

UPDATE, 8.22am: A large mulch fire in Alfredton has been declared under control.

About 14 firefighters are continuing to respond to the industrial fire, after crews first turned out about 6am in response to a triple-zero call.

Firefighters arrived at the premises in four minutes and worked to bring the fire under control within two hours.

The green waste mulch blaze is still emitting large plumes of smoke and firefighters will remain on scene for some time to monitor for hotspots and ensure the fire is fully extinguished.

The advice warning remains in place and flames may be visible.

Firefighters from Fiire Rescue Victoria and the Country Fire Authority are working alongside Victoria Police and the local council on scene.

EARLIER: A mulch fire is burning out of control in Alfredton this morning.

An advice message has been issued for most suburbs in Ballarat that "a lot of smoke and flames may be visible".

The fire is burning a pile of mulch near Learmonth Street.

The pile is understood to be about four metres high.

The fire first broke out just before 6am.

There is no threat to anybody in the area, with firefighters working to prevent the blaze spreading.

There is expected to be a heavy presence of emergency vehicles so people are asked to avoid the area.

It is the second large early morning fire this week, after a suspicious blaze erupted at the Ballarat Towing Service base in Delacombe on Wednesday.

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