28 April 2025
A fire in a licensed explosives storage area at a South Australian mine has prompted a SafeWork SA warning about the importance of functional fire safety systems.
The affected explosives articles – gas generating cartridges for secondary blasting – were past their shelf life and scheduled to be destroyed later that week.
The magazine’s fire detection system alerted the mine’s control centre, prompting a site evacuation and triggering the deluge system which extinguished the fire.
The Emergency Response Team monitored temperatures in the magazine and separated unaffected pallets.
No one was injured in the fire.
SafeWork SA Inspectors attended the scene and inquiries are ongoing. A forensic fire investigator has been engaged to assist in identifying the cause.
Safety recommendations
- Ensure that explosives are within their recommended shelf life
- Ensure that explosives are stored in accordance with the temperature and humidity requirements in the Safety Data Sheet or Technical Data Sheet
- Ensure that fire safety systems are maintained and functional.
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