An emergency evacuation warning was issued on Tuesday afternoon due to a series of explosions at an industrial site in the north of Geelong, while firefighters battled a rapidly spreading fire and a dense smoke plume that spread throughout surrounding suburbs.
On Tuesday, March 3, 2026 at 3:28 p.m. crews were called after Triple Zero callers reported a car fire, followed by explosions and thick smoke.
Within minutes, firefighters arrived and discovered a car on the back of a truck on fire with flames spreading to nearby gas bottles and causing several explosions.
At the intersection of Thompson Road and Armstrong Street in North Geelong, VicEmergency issued an Emergency Warning advising anyone within the warning area to evacuate right away.
Emergency services might not be able to assist those who stayed, according to the alert which cautioned people not to enter the area and described the conditions as extremely dangerous.
People were advised to stay away from windows and glass, keep an eye out for hot or sharp objects, close windows and vents and turn off the air conditioner before leaving the area if they were driving.
While workers were on the scene, Thompson Road, Armstrong Street and Pashley Avenue were closed.
According to ABC News, the emergency warning area, which is primarily an industrial pocket included portions of Thompson Road and Armstrong Street as well as neighboring streets like Pashley Avenue and Sharon Court.
While firefighters worked around the perimeter to put out the fire, aerial footage showed smoke rising from what appeared to be tires and wrecked vehicles.
Additionally, health officials cautioned that smoke from the fire had spread throughout Bell Park, Bell Post Hill, North Geelong and the surrounding suburbs, potentially aggravating lung and heart conditions as well as causing eye irritation, coughing and wheezing.
Although crews were expected to stay on the scene to ensure the area was safe, Fire Rescue Victoria stated that the incident was deemed under control at 5:24 p.m.
