Asbestos News
Asbestos concerns raised after fire at former Australian hardware store
Some Australian homeowners were recently told to evacuate their homes after a former hardware store in the northern part of Melbourne caught fire, raising asbestos concerns, the Herald Sun reports.More than 50 firefighters battled to control the blaze at the former Bunnings Warehouse hardware store, the news provider reports. The flames reportedly came close to homes located near the facility.
"When fire fighters arrived the outside of the walls were exploding," said Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) incident controller Mark O'Connor.
O'Connor said that authorities were becoming increasingly concerned about the toxic asbestos that was burning inside the building, adding that firefighters would not be able to enter the facility immediately because it was "too dangerous."
Exposure to asbestos can cause a range of serious illnesses including asbestosis, lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer that occurs in the tissues surrounding most of the body's inner organs.
According to the news provider, the cause of the fire is being treated as suspicious by investigators on the scene.
2/3/11
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