What happened

A major fire erupted at Bradbury Industrial Services' hazardous and industrial waste recycling warehouse at 16–18 Thornycroft Street after a worker decanting highly flammable toluene from an intermediate bulk container held by a forklift into a drum encountered a large flash. The fire spread through the approximately 5,000-square-metre site, generated a dense toxic-smoke plume over Melbourne's northern suburbs and required more than 175 firefighters. Crews controlled the main blaze within hours but remained for four days extinguishing hot spots and managing flammable liquids. Two workers were hospitalized with serious burns, nearby residents were evacuated and schools, kindergartens and businesses closed because of the smoke. Firewater carrying chemical waste escaped through storm drains and polluted Merlynston Creek. EPA Victoria had suspended the facility's authority to accept waste in March after finding roughly 400,000–450,000 litres onsite against a licence limit of about 150,000–154,000 litres; an inspection the day before the fire still found about 300,000 litres. Bradbury was later convicted over the unsafe workplace, dangerous-goods stockpiles, licence breach and water pollution. The company entered external administration in July 2019, leaving the destroyed site and wider chemical-stockpile cleanup as a sustained regulatory failure rather than a short-lived warehouse fire.

When cited sources give different casualty, damage or spill figures for this event, they’re reported side by side above rather than merged into one number. See how confidence levels work.