Fire clears pool

By Rebecca Fraser and Shaun Inguanzo
SCHOOL children were among scores of people forced to evacuate after a blaze broke out at Pakenham’s new pool yesterday afternoon.
The alarm was sounded and fire crews were called about 2pm after smoke began to billow out of a change room at Cardinia LiFE Centre.
School groups in both the pool and stadium were quickly evacuated, along with all YMCA workers and everyone else inside the newly opened centre.
The fire started when a plastic bin full of paper towelling in a men’s change room was set ablaze, causing substantial smoke damage to the change facilities.
Fire crews from Nar Nar Goon, Berwick and Pakenham rushed to the scene and First Lieutenant Wayne Nutting of Pakenham CFA said the fire was contained within five minutes.
Fire officers climbed onto the change room roof to open it up to help with ventilation.
Lt Nutting said there was no structural damage to the change room but it would need to be cleaned and repainted.
YMCA group manager Haydn Robins said the building had been cleared quickly and everyone had remained calm and collected.
He said swim teachers had hastily rallied students from the pool to the evacuation point and other children had been ushered out from the stadium.
Mr Robins praised everyone’s actions in getting outside quickly and said no one was using the change facilities when the fire broke out.
Police have since been called in to investigate.