FIRE and Rescue NSW crews from Nowra, Shoalhaven and Berry spent more than 12 hours at the Manildra Group's complex at Bolong on Sunday after a fire in a product shed.
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The crews were called to the site of the former paper mill, east of Bomaderry, now owned by Manildra, around 12.30pm on Sunday after a security guard reported a pile burn in one of the sheds on the property.
The shed, around 80 metres long, located on the bank of the Shoalhaven River was a storage area for what has been described as a "grain-like substance".
The shed was full of the substance, with several thousand tonnes of product, with the fire area located in the middle of the shed.
Staff from Manildra used large excavators and front end loaders to remove thousands of tonnes of the product, which was then extinguished by fire crews outside, in a very labor intensive operation.
Fire crews inside the complex had to wear breathing apparatus due to the large amounts of dust, which could potentially provide respiratory risks and also a dust explosion.
Around 20 firefighters took part in the operation.
Thankfully for fire crews the western end of the shed was fully enclosed meaning the strong winds which lashed the coast at times on Sunday didn't have an impact on the fire.
Crews remained at the location until 1am Monday, with Manildra staff continuing to monitor the situation and clean up the site.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, however internal combustion is being looked at as one possible cause.