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Newcastle Herald
Newcastle Herald
Anna Falkenmire

Firefighters monitor smoking grain silo for 'hotspots' at Carrington

Firefighters remained at the scene of an incident at Carrington more than 12 hours after smoke was seen billowing from silos.

A Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) spokesperson confirmed five trucks and their crew members were standing by to continue temperature checks on Monday morning.

Emergency services were called to reports of an incident at the GrainCorp terminal on Denison Street at Carrington, in Newcastle, just after 5pm on Sunday, July 12.

The FRNSW spokesperson said it appeared something had ignited inside a stack, causing heat and smoke, though the cause remained unclear.

They said it had been contained to a single silo and had not spread to nearby buildings.

Firefighters brought in an aerial drone to inspect hotspots with thermal imaging.

The incident sparked a major emergency response, with more than 30 firefighters initially on scene and police establishing an exclusion zone.

Emergency services reassured the community there was no threat to people in the immediate vicinity and no large-scale evacuations were required.

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The operation continued to unfold throughout the night.

The FRNSW spokesperson said about 7am that temperatures had dropped and were holding steady, but crews would remain on scene in the coming hours to ensure the incident did not escalate.

It's understood the silo's exhaust system, and vent, were operating correctly and contributed to the plume of smoke that captured the attention of people nearby.

A GrainCorp spokesperson said the company was working with FRNSW to determine the "cause of smoke" at the Carrington terminal.

"There were no injuries, and there is no threat to the wider community," they said.

"The safety of our people and the community remains our first priority.

"We thank Fire and Rescue NSW and other emergency services for their swift response and are working with authorities to restore operations as soon as it is safe to do so."

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