A CHEMICAL reaction could be the cause of a fire at the Narrabri Aquatic Centre last Thursday afternoon.
Narrabri Fire and Rescue promptly responded to the incident with the support of Wee Waa, Boggabri, Gunnedah, Tamworth and Gunnedah brigades.
Rural Fire Service, NSW Police, NSW Ambulance, EPA and Narrabri Shire Council were also part of the multi-agency response.
A small evacuation area was in place for public safety.
The incident was contained to the three-bay steel shed with the aquatic centre itself undamaged by the incident.
Narrabri Fire and Rescue captain Shane Bradford AFSM explained that the response to the blaze was complex due to the chemical storage and need for a HAZMAT process.
After the fire had been contained, the clean-up process spanned several hours and finished around 9.30pm.
Capt Braford praised council staff for promptly following evacuation procedures.
No injuries occurred at the incident, with paramedics on-site if needed to treat firefighters who were part of the chemical clean-up process.
The cause of the fire is yet to be determined, however, a chemical reaction could be the cause.
The aquatic centre closed on the Thursday afternoon and reopened as usual on the Friday.
Two local sporting clubs have been left devastated as a result of the blaze, with part of the shed complex housing equipment and memorabilia.
Narrabri Stingrays Swimming Club lost all of its equipment as well as historic shields and awards in the incident.
The club is assessing some of the memorabilia to see if anything can be salvaged.
An extensive list of equipment has been destroyed.
The club’s committee will meet this week discuss the next steps.
Similarly, the Narrabri Dolphins Water Polo Club also had equipment destroyed in the incident.
With the coming season due to start in October, the club will need to assess what items it needs for the season to be able to proceed.
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