Methane gas incident, Cranbourne - message to all CFA members

CFA Deputy Chief Officer Steve Warrington addresses a community meeting at Cranbourne on 10 September

CFA is currently attending an incident at the Brookland Greens housing estate in Cranbourne (Region 8) where high levels of methane gas have been detected.

There is a real risk of the current gas concentration level becoming sufficient to cause an explosion.

CFA, on expert advice and in consultation with other agencies including the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) recommends that the safest option at this stage is for residents of the estate to relocate from their homes. However, for those residents who choose to stay in their homes, CFA has advised that there are a range of actions they can take to alleviate the risk. These include:

• ensuring all confined spaces are adequately ventilated;
• being vigilant;
• reporting any detected gas build up; and
• avoiding using ignition sources in confined spaces.

CFA and other emergency agencies have taken immediate action to mitigate the risk through a variety of methods including:

• monitoring of levels;
• venting of confined spaces and storm water drains;
• and long term actions to decrease the overall below ground levels of gas.

Community members at the 10 September meeting

The state’s emergency management protocols will oversee any relocation and ensure that affected residents are supported in every possible way. The City of Casey will play a key role in the response and recovery actions for affected residents. All CFA members please note:

• Please refer calls from members of the public or residents regarding the methane issue to City of Casey’s Information number – 9705 5200.
• All calls from the media should be directed to CFA Media – 5330 3124.
• A community meeting is planned for this evening at 7:30pm at the Old Shire Offices, Cnr Sladen St, Sth Gippsland Hwy (MEL Ref 133 J6).
• There is an information Marquee set up at the front of the Brookland Greens Estate on Cherryhills Drive, Cranbourne, from 10am-4pm (MEL Ref 133 F5/6). Representatives from all agencies will be available to answer queries/concerns.

We will continue to post updates on the incident on Fire Flyer.

For more information visit the City of Casey website.