By Goya Dmytryshchak and Henrietta Cook
Nineteen firefighters have been hospitalised after falling ill or becoming concerned about elevated carbon monoxide levels while at the three-kilometre fire roaring through an open-cut coal mine at the Hazelwood Power Station.
Leading firefighter and United Firefighters Union representative Danny Ward said more than 200 firefighters and 100 mine staff were working in extremely volatile conditions.
Morwell and the Hazelwood Power Station are under threat.Credit: Wayne Taylor
Mr Ward said he was concerned about the health of crews fighting the fire as well as residents in Morwell and Traralgon and there needed to be a week of sustained rain to extinguish the fire, which has been burning since February 9. ''We haven't got the capacity to put enough water on it to put it out.''
While a smoke hazard alert on elevated carbon-monoxide levels was downgraded to an advisory status, doctors said they were treating an increasing number of locals for respiratory issues.
Yarragon Medical Centre GP Malcolm McKelvie said he treated three people in his clinic in the last few days with asthma exacerbated by smoke. In the most serious case, a child on school camp had gone through two puffers in just 24 hours.
It's understood the Hazelwood divisional command - a space where staff work - was forced to relocate due to carbon monoxide levels within the building and even higher readings of the toxic gas outside. Miners are continuing to work at the site to maintain the state's power supply. A man who has worked at the mine for more than 20 years, but who wanted to remain anonymous, said workers had concerns about the accuracy of carbon monoxide testers they had to wear.
The miner said if a reading was between zero and three, workers were allowed to go back on the job, but a reading above six meant miners could not front for work for 48 hours. The miner said one worker came out of the cut with a reading of two, and after he had a shower, the reading rose to four.
''It went higher after he'd had a wash and cleaned up and everything, so we're all wondering what's going on with these monitors.''
A spokeswoman for the Victorian State Control Centre said emergency services and the Environment Protection Authority would continue to monitor the air over coming weeks to minimise any risks to communities or firefighters.
''Monitoring of carbon monoxide is being undertaken continuously both at the mine site and in the Morwell community by Emergency Services HazMat technicians.''
She said firefighters battling the blaze were tested when they arrived at the mine and were unable to leave until they had been tested again.
''Firefighters and mine staff are required to leave the mine every two hours for a break and carbon monoxide levels are regularly checked by each crew using air quality monitors and this information is recorded every 15 minutes.''
She said some firefighters were also required to wear breathing apparatus while fighting the fire.
A firefighter at incident-management level, who could face dismissal if named, said that if firefighters were being hospitalised, the incident was not being managed correctly.
''If people are being hospitalised, it indicates one of two things,'' he said. ''The safety officers at the job aren't doing their job correctly, in that people should be wearing breathing apparatus in areas of high carbon monoxide.''
Shadow emergency service minister Wade Noonan said the situation was dangerous and complex, and the fires could burn for more than a month and produce elevated levels of carbon monoxide.
The EPA has tested water in the Hazelwood cooling ponds but initial results found that mercury levels were below levels that posed a health risk.
A Victorian WorkCover Authority spokesman said it had made inquiries when informed about the incident and would continue to work with the Country Fire Authority if required.