On 15 February 2001, at approximately 11.00 pm, a fire occurred at a hazardous waste and solvent recycling facility in Bellevue, Western Australia. The facility was estimated to have been storing up to 500,000 litres of chemicals and toxic solvents, largely those used in the motor vehicle and dry-cleaning industries. The combustion of stored toxic waste together with flammable material contributed to the creation of a dense toxic smoke plume.
The fire was one of the biggest hazardous materials fire in Australian history. More than 2,000,000 litres of water were applied to extinguish the fire and over 350 FESA personnel, including volunteers, responded to the emergency.
It took more than two days to extinguish the fire and 50 people were evacuated.
The fire destroyed the majority of chemicals stored on the site and also burnt bushland down to the Helena River. Initial clean-up costs were approximately $5.6 million.
Toxic fumes were discharged into the atmosphere and residue from the fire landed in surrounding areas and covered buildings and vehicles in the vicinity that subsequently had to be decontaminated. Public health concerns were raised about a range of experiences of exposure to contaminants emanating from the fire.
Hundreds of thousands of litres of contaminated water had to be pumped from drains after the fire and all drains had to be thoroughly decontaminated.
A specialised drum shredding and waste collection machine was designed and constructed. Six months after the fire, the drums were processed and the waste encased in concrete, painted in impervious paint and disposed of in a class four land fill.
The fire also had economic impacts as the company received the majority of Perth's hazardous liquid wastes and the only other facility was shut down by the government in 2003. Consequently, waste had to be transported at least 800 km for disposal. Bellevue property values were affected and increased regulation of hazardous waste and chemical industries was introduced.
A Health Register was established under the guidance of a Steering Committee following a recommendation from the Bellevue Hazardous Waste Fire Parliamentary Inquiry. The First Report found that of the 218 people that elected to be part of the Bellevue Health Surveillance Register, 60 per cent reported at least one symptom that they thought was related to the fire but most symptoms did not last long. Typical symptoms included sore eyes, coughs, colds, chest complaints, dizziness, vomiting, nausea and headache.
Due to the hazardous nature of the site, a proper scene examination and the origin and cause of the fire could not be established. Furthermore, the fire destroyed most evidence and the immediate clean-up removed any other evidence there may have been. Thus the cause of the fire has never been determined.