Emma Pritchard

A massive fire which engulfed 1500 vehicles within a scrap yard at Trenayr on November 29 remains under investigation.

Shortly before 6pm, emergency services responded to reports several cars were on fire at a rural property north of Grafton.

Grafton Fire and Rescue 306 Station Captain Garry Reardon said crews from Grafton, South Grafton, Coffs Harbour, Sawtell, and Urunga, attended the scene in Trenayr Road, where upon arrival, they found 30 vehicles piled on top of one another well alight.

A large plume of toxic black smoke rose high into the air as crews fought tirelessly to bring the blaze under control.

Aided by a gently prevailing southerly, it was several hours before firefighters were able to contain the blaze, which spread to several other vehicles in the vicinity.

During the painstaking operation, a female firefighter sustained an injury and was transported to Grafton Base Hospital (GBH) for precautionary observation before being released.

Describing the scene as “pretty intense,” Captain Reardon said it was an extremely difficult fire to contain with crews formulating a strategy to restrict the blaze to one large pile of vehicles due to limited access on site.

“It was such a difficult pile of scrap to get to,” he said.

“There was no way of getting in, and we were not able to extinguish the fire, so we focused on containing and preventing the fire from spreading.

“Remnant fuel in fuel tanks, gas cylinders, and tyres, it was all alight.

“There was a lot of nasty stuff being burned and the smoke was super toxic.”

Residents were warned to remain indoors, keep their windows closed, and ensure air conditioners were turned off due to the heavy pollution in the air.  

While the fire was brought under control during the night, it continued to smoulder throughout the following day, with several emergency services personnel remaining on site.

Captain Reardon confirmed no neighbouring properties, including a sawmill, were threatened by the fire.

Officers from the Coffs/Clarence Police District established a crime scene and commenced an investigation into the cause of the fire, which is being treated as suspicious.

At the time of publication, police were continuing to appeal for information from the public.

As inquires continue, police would like to speak with four males believed to have been travelling in a white dual cab utility along Trenayr Road, Trenayr, at 5:30pm on November 29.