A house fire in the South Australia suburb of Windsor Gardens proved to be a bit tricky once firefighters became aware that the house was full of asbestos.
The fire started at around 4am due to an electric blanket being left on. It took sixteen firefighters half an hour to extinguish the blaze.
Nobody was harmed in the fire itself, but when asbestos material is destroyed, for example by burning, it may cause future harm. This is because asbestos fibres can be released and become airborne, and these asbestos fibres are very dangerous.
Asbestos is a known carcinogen, so if asbestos fibres are inhaled, the asbestos can cause asbestos related diseases such as asbestosis and the cancer mesothelioma, which can take decades to manifest.
Luckily the firefighters were informed of the asbestos’ presence, and followed standard safety procedures such as keeping the debris wet to prevent any asbestos fibres from becoming airborne.
South Australia is just one of Australia’s states that has legislation to assist those suffering asbestos conditions pursue an asbestos compensation claim, such as a mesothelioma compensation claim, in Australia. Other states with asbestos compensation legislation include NSW and Victoria.
Unfortunately, mesothelioma compensation claims in Australia have been brought by firefighters who have been exposed to asbestos during the course of their work.
