A historic timber mill in Western Australia, which was recently gutted by fire, has drawn the attention of local residents and health and safety experts after it was gutted by fire and its asbestos interior revealed.
The timber mill at Pemberton, south of Perth, caught fire on Friday, and firefighters were able to manage the blaze without any impact on nearby buildings. They have said it was lucky that the smoke blew away from the town centre.
President of the Shire of Manjimup, Paul Omodei, explained that the building, due to its asbestos threat, will require an immediate clean-up. The question now is, who will foot the bill for the clean up.
The lease of the building is owned by Parkside Group, and they have so far declined to comment. The building itself is leased from the state government.
Mr Odomei said he had raised concerns about the asbestos-clad building in 2018, to the state government, asking for it to be demolished. He was told the management of the site and any potential demolition would need to be managed by the lessee.
“We still believe there’s a significant problem now… there’s a lot of frayed asbestos hanging down and as it dries out it will blow in the wind,” Mr Omodei said.
“There needs to be immediate action to demolish it and cut away all of the contaminated soils.”
In a statement, the Department of Lands, Planning and Heritage, which leases the land, explained again that the leaseholder was required to clean up the site, but said it would work with the local shire and the lease holder.