At 2.45am on 24 November 2014, the Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) responded crews to a 000 call for a structure fire in La Trobe St, Docklands, in Melbourne. A total of 19 appliances and more than 70 firefighters battled the blaze, which started on a second floor balcony and extended up the external face of building to the 20th storey. An aerial appliance was utilised to extinguish the external fire while firefighters conducted a floor by floor search in heavily smoke-logged conditions, checking for occupants and internal fire spread.

MFB’s role was not limited to firefighting. MFB command staff led the Emergency Management Team (comprising Victoria Police, State Emergency Service, Ambulance Victoria, Red Cross, Department of Health and local council) and effectively managed the complex incident, including the evacuation of more than 400 residents. 

To assist in the transition to recovery, firefighters facilitated access to apartments for residents, one floor at a time to collect essential belongings.

The impact on the resident community was significant, with all residents requiring short-term emergency accommodation and some requiring longer-term alternative accommodation. Residents were relocated to Etihad Stadium and provided with food and shelter.

This is an important reminder of the critical role that emergency management agencies play in the community. We have an obligation to ensure those affected are provided with the best possible care and support.

In this case, all involved did an excellent job working in partnership to ensure that the impact on residents was minimised and the transition to recovery was well coordinated.

This incident raised a number of issues requiring ongoing consideration including:
• Performance of the building in limiting the spread of fires in relation to external balconies 
• Overcrowding of apartments.

The presentation will explore building design, occupancy issues, firefighting, recovery activities, what worked well and opportunities for improvement.