Detectives are continuing investigations into an explosion which occurred at Bogan Gate late on Sunday afternoon.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
At this stage it appears the explosion - which could be heard and felt in Parkes - was not suspicious.
A shed of pyrotechnics - containing 4.5 tonnes of prepared fireworks - exploded at about 5pm.
Absolutely nothing was left of the building and the impact area was noticeable for several hundred metres with debris and fireworks casings strewn about.
Surrounding constructions remained virtually untouched.
The fireworks were owned by Howard and Sons Pyrotchnics and were stored on the site of the former Bogan Gate Army camp on the outskirts of the town.
The explosion also caused a grass fire which spread into the hills to the east of the site.
Lachlan Police Area Command Superintendent, Chris Walker said the area has secured fencing and there are some 10 houses in the vicinity which are occupied.
About 20 residents were evacuated into Bogan Gate, with police establishing a two kilometre exclusion zone around the facility.
The area was declared safe about 10pm and residents allowed home.
The area was declared a hazmat incident and as such NSW Fire and Rescue were the combat agency.
They worked with the Rural Fire Service to bring the fire under control and by 8pm, it was virtually out.
“It was a large explosion, but very little fire,” Supt. Taylor said.
“Fortunately there was no one on site at the time, and no one was injured.
“The building which was towards the rear of the area, was obliterated, and there was very little damage to any other structures.
“The site was cleared by Fire and Rescue at about 10pm and people were allowed to return to their homes.
Detectives and crime scene officers were quickly on the site collecting scientific evidence.
Supt Chris Taylor said he could not speculate about what triggered the blast until the scientific results were returned.
“At this stage there does not appear to be anything suspicious and the cause could well be weather-related.
“We will be making inquiries with the Bureau of Meteorology, Intergral Energy and the RFS who have facilities to track where lightning has struck.”
The site has been handed back to the property managers.
Supt Taylor confirmed that only one building was destroyed, the other buildings at the site received only superficial damage from the initial explosion.
Rural Fire Service fixed-wing aircraft remained on duty yesterday afternoon, trying to prevent a grass fire sparked by the explosion from spreading.
Mid Lachlan Valley superintendent Ken Neville said the blast had sparked a fire in the range but crews could not access it on Sunday night.
Given the all-clear, they were yesterday working to stop it spreading down the range.
Fixed-wing aircraft were water-bombing the range and crews working on the side of the hill on Sunday evening.
Fire Crews mopped up for most of the day and will remain on site until late tonight to keep a close eye on smoldering areas.
The fixed wing aircraft bombed the top of the range late this afternoon with retardant in an extended effort to keep it from spreading down the range.
Police are urging anyone with information in relation to this incident to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page: https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au/ Information you provide will be treated in the strictest of confidence.
***
Rural Fire Service volunteers were working double time in Sunday afternoon’s horror weather conditions.
A fire sparked by heavy machinery burned out 2200 hectares of stubble and oat crop on the Tullamore Road before being contained.
Temperatures reached 44 degrees and Parkes airport recorded winds of up to 70 kilometres an hour.
RFS Mid-Lachlan Valley superintendent Ken Neville said volunteers did a “magnificent” job in bad conditions - putting in a lot of hours to contain the fire.
“About 75 volunteers were out there at the peak,” he said.
“We also had five fixed-wing aircraft, two helicopters and heavy machinery.”
Crews continued working Sunday night to strengthen fire breaks.
The fire was yesterday afternoon under control, with Mr Neville hoping the kinder weather conditions forecast would eventuate.
There were reports of heavy stock losses in some areas.
Police were located on the first ground during the blaze, working with the RFS.
A liaison officer was also based at the control centre in Forbes.