Six thousand litres of diesel fuel flooded corridors and dripped through ceilings in a Melbourne CBD high-rise office on Tuesday morning.
Fire Rescue Victoria said it was called to the William Street building shortly before 8am and evacuated 160 occupants.
Firefighters on the scene of the hazardous material spill on William Street.
“[Fire Rescue Victoria] investigated and found a leak from a diesel fuel line on the 21st floor that spilled across four levels, down to the 18th floor,” a spokesperson said on Tuesday afternoon.
“A total of 35 firefighters attended the scene and through swift action contained the leak and spill which involved about 6000 litres.”
Fire rescue said occupants had reported “diesel fuel flooding through corridors and dripping through ceilings”.
The leaked was contained on Tuesday morning, but a fire rescue spokesperson said firefighters were expected to remain on scene for several hours after placing absorbent on the spill to soak it up.
The scene on William Street this morning.
The 15 William Street building’s general manager, Michael Cooper, clarified to The Age that the building was an office tower and had no homes or residents – only workers. An earlier fire rescue statement had erroneously suggested that residential apartments had been flooded.
The diesel line that ruptured fed a generator, Cooper said. “We’re still trying to get a handle on it,” he said on Tuesday morning.