Fire Rescue Victoria hands Viva Energy Geelong Refinery site back to Viva Energy

Fire Rescue Victoria hands Viva Energy Geelong Refinery site back to Viva Energy

Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) has handed control of Viva Energy Geelong Refinery site back to the company following the conclusion of the emergency response activities.

The major blaze broke out shortly after 11pm on Wednesday 15 April in the refinery’s alkylation unit and was extinguished within 13 hours due to the combined efforts of FRV and Viva Energy firefighters.

While the fire was extinguished within a relatively short timeframe, the scene presented significant post-fire risks. FRV maintained control of the scene to manage these risks with the safety of Viva Energy staff and the broader community in mind.

FRV and Viva Energy, supported by Victoria Police, WorkSafe Victoria, EPA and Energy Safe Victoria, worked tirelessly to minimise impact to the community.

Comprehensive air quality, surface and water runoff testing confirmed there were no contamination concerns for the community.

Investigations into the cause of the fire are underway and may take several months to complete. As part of this work, FRV used remotely piloted aircraft ‘drones’ to safely capture vision within the damaged part of the plant.

FRV handed the site back to Viva Energy on Monday 4 May.

FRV Incident Controller Anthony Pearce says Viva Energy can now begin clean-up, restoration and recovery efforts.

“The safety of the community, first responders and Viva Energy employees has been and remains our highest priority,” he said.

“There is no longer an emergency occurring on site. We have confidence Viva Energy will undertake its obligations to operate safely and effectively moving forward.”

The local community should also be aware weekly testing of the Geelong Refinery site alarms will resume on Tuesday May 5 at 9am. The sounding of a refinery alarm at this time will be a test only and there is no cause for concern.