THE manager of a Lockwood South mushroom farm was airlifted to Melbourne with serious burns after a minor gas explosion yesterday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The 48-year-old Bendigo man received burns to his head and torso after a gas leak at Streamside Mushrooms in Glen Road, off the Calder Alternate Highway, sparked a fire about 4.30pm.
He was flown to The Alfred hospital in Melbourne by air ambulance.
A hospital spokesman said the man was in a serious but stable condition last night.
Police said the man was alone in the storage room at the time of the fire.
Worksafe inspectors attended the scene late yesterday and will establish a report on work practices today.
A gas main in the mushroom processing room was identified as the ignition source.
“Investigators are still trying to put the pieces together to determine what happened,” Sergeant Tony Kekich told the Bendigo Advertiser last night.
The fire was contained to one room at the site which received minor damage.
CFA trucks from Lockwood, Kangaroo Flat and Maldon attended the site, and a gas detector was called in from Bendigo to assess the site.
Fire crews remained at the site, monitoring the area until 6.50pm.