Fire at Australian factory ignites gallons of oil

MELBOURNE, Australia – Firefighters have brought a massive fire at a Melbourne petrochemical factory under control after it ignited tens of thousands of gallons (liters) of mineral oil.

The blaze started Thursday on the outskirts of the Australian city, setting off explosions and sending massive fire balls into the air. The Australian Broadcasting Corp. says it raced through 130,000 gallons (500,000 liters) of mineral oil. Firefighters feared at one point that it would reach massive drums holding motor oil.

Country Fire Authority spokesman Gerard Scholten said Friday that they were continuing to hose down those tanks to keep the fire from restarting there.

Scholten urged residents of nearby towns to stay indoors as much as possible, even though he denied the fumes were toxic.