A blaze at the Boral cement works at Maldon, near the small town of Picton in New South Wales, Australia brought work at the plant to a standstill. The fire broke out in a conveyor motor on the fourth floor of the cement works, requiring 80 of the plant's workforce to be evacuated immediately as the flames began to spread.
Fire and Rescue New South Wales is reported to have said that the blaze appears to have started in or near a conveyor belt , that then generated large amounts of black smoke as rubber in the system burnt.
Investigations are continuing into the cause of a spectacular fire. In particular, investigators are examining whether a build of heat as a result of friction caused the belt to ignite.
There is still some concern about the stability of a 150 tonne hopper which may have been damaged in the blaze.
