KEY POINTS:
MELBOURNE - About 150,000 litres of engine oil has helped to fuel a A$20 million ($23 million) warehouse fire in Melbourne's outer south east overnight.
Fire crews remain at the scene of the fire at DTM Transport at the corner of Gaine Road and Qantum Close, in Dandenong South, which erupted shortly before 10pm (AEDT) yesterday.
Country Fire Authority incident controller Troy Thornton said about 150,000 litres of engine oil, two tonnes of raw fibre glass, drums of hydraulic oil, mattresses, guitars and amplifiers and a large amount of plastic were consumed in the blaze.
Radiant heat from the intense fire spread the flames to 15 trucks stored in a separate compound. All were destroyed.
Eleven CFA brigades and 120 firefighters with 21 trucks were involved at the height of the fire.
The fire was contained two hours after the first call.
Seven fire appliances including two aerial units remain at the scene.
"The radiant heat was just unbelievable," Mr Thornton told AAP.
"There were 44-gallon drums of hydraulic oil popping through the roof.
"It was a very loud fire and the heat was so intense we couldn't get our crews into the actual premises for some time.
"It was quite a significant risk for our firefighters.
"The premises was about 80 per cent involved when we arrived so our focus was on mainly on the exposures.
"We had an electrical substation right next door, which we managed to save, and quite a number of factories very close to the boundary on the southern side that mostly got some superficial damage from radiant heat but we saved them."
CFA fire investigators would try to determine the cause of the blaze today, Mr Thornton said.
- AAP
