Junee tip fire sparks major response

A LARGE fire engulfed part of Junee’s landfill facility on Friday, triggering a major emergency response and prompting road closures near the site.

The blaze broke out shortly after 10am, with Fire and Rescue NSW confirming to the Junee Bulletin that the first Triple Zero call was received at 10:15am.

A fleet of firefighting units was dispatched from both Junee and Wagga, including multiple appliances from Fire and Rescue NSW and the NSW Rural Fire Service.

Photo: © The Junee Bulletin

Photo: © The Junee Bulletin

Photo: © The Junee Bulletin

A bulk water tanker, Wagga’s hazardous materials van, and NSW Ambulance paramedics were also deployed. Thankfully, no injuries were reported.

The fire produced a large, black smoke plume visible from across town, though gusty winds fortunately blew the smoke away from the Junee township.

Photo: Supplied

Photo: Supplied

While the blaze was contained to a rubbish pile, it took crews around two hours to bring the fire under control, with wind conditions complicating firefighting efforts.

Flames were still visible at 11:45am — around 90 minutes after the first emergency call — before thick black smoke gave way to white, signalling progress.

Photo: © The Junee Bulletin

Photo: © The Junee Bulletin

Firefighters described the conditions as dangerous and unstable, with crews forced to work at a distance to avoid falling through soft, compromised ground.

Heavy machinery and a water tanker from Junee Shire Council were brought in to assist, with an excavator used to pull apart the smouldering pile and expose deep-seated flames.

Photo: © The Junee Bulletin

With no water source on site, fire crews operated a revolving shuttle system between the landfill and a nearby dam on Gundagai Road, working swiftly to ferry water back and forth.

Kahmoo Lane, and the road leading into the neighbouring cemetery were closed to traffic while firefighting operations were underway.

Photo: © The Junee Bulletin

Photo: © The Junee Bulletin

Junee Shire Council urged residents to avoid the area, and to remain clear of both the landfill and cemetery entrances until the scene was fully cleared and declared safe.

Firefighters remained on scene Friday afternoon, dampening hot spots and monitoring flare-ups, with the landfill facility closed for the remainder of the day.

Photo: © The Junee Bulletin

While the exact cause is yet to be confirmed, the fire is believed to have been sparked by a lithium battery that was incorrectly disposed of.

The incident comes less than a week after a major fire ripped through the Temora landfill on Saturday, September 20.

That blaze broke out around 2pm, with crews from multiple stations working for around six hours to extinguish the fire.