Arabic version: حريق كبريت في بورت أديلايد يدفع إلى إصدار أمر إخلاء

According to ABC News, emergency services issued an evacuation order after an “extremely dangerous” fire broke out in a large industrial shed containing sulphur at Port Adelaide on Thursday. The SA Metropolitan Fire Service said the blaze was burning sulphur and producing a large amount of smoke considered “toxic”.

People within one kilometre of Moonta Road were told to leave immediately, while others were advised to avoid the area. The MFS said the smoke was travelling south to south-east. About 15 fire trucks, including aerial and hazardous-material vehicles, were at the scene, and firefighters were expected to remain there for some time.

The SA Ambulance Service said one person had been taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital. The Indie School Port Adelaide, on nearby Dale Street, sent a small number of students home as a precaution.

Witness Tim Whitrow, who was in an office about 400 metres from the site, told 891 ABC Adelaide that the shed was “enormous” and described thick white smoke rising about 200 to 300 metres before travelling north. He said he believed an excavator was inside the shed when the fire began.

Bureau of Meteorology representative Daniel Sherwin-Simpson said a slow, subtle wind change was expected during the afternoon, shifting towards the south-west and pushing smoke north-east towards the Parafield area. He said cooler conditions and higher humidity could make conditions more favourable for firefighters, but warned that if the fire continued into the evening, smoke could become stuck near the surface.