'Suspicious' Melbourne factory fire blankets area with toxic smoke
Police are investigating a suspicious fire that ripped through a large factory in Melbourne's north and caused thick black smoke to blanket the area.
The blaze at a logistics factory at the corner of Northcorp Boulevard and Camp Road, Campbellfield, was spotted at 8pm on Monday and took crews three hours to bring under control.
The factory deals with raw, flammable liquids used for producing a variety of products, the MFB confirmed in a statement.
Wind sent toxic smoke blowing across Campbellfield, towards the east, as fire set surrounding grass alight.
A number of people were evacuated from surrounding businesses as a precaution, however no injuries were reported, Victoria Police said in a statement Tuesday morning.
Trains were stopped from travelling on nearby lines and Tullamarine Airport was warned of the smoke.
"One wall of the tilt slab building has collapsed, with the remainder severely damaged by fire," the MFB said.
"Firefighters were able to stop the spread of fire into the adjoining factory and limited that damage to the roof and wall."
The MFB remains on scene this morning, where smoke is still smoldering.
Employees who begun arriving to work Tuesday morning were turned away, Sunrise reported.
MFB's Assistant Chief Officer Peter Thomas told Sunrise fire crews faced challenges accessing the factory in an attempt to control the fire.
"Quite a lot of factories [in a] small space. Putting the big appliances in was a bit of a challenge for them."
A crime scene has been set up at the factory and the arson squad will investigate.
About 60 fire fighters were deployed, and EPA Victoria and the local council also attended.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page.
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