tyabblemons Said:

     At approximately 3.07pm, I was notified that a truck had rolled over at the corner of Westernport Hwy/Frankston-Flinders Rd roundabout. This is the third tanker rollover at that intersection in my memory.

      I collected my camera gear and drove to the intersection, about 1km away. I arrived very shortly after Tyabb Tanker 1, and the crew were still sizing up. I was able to get close the scene, but stayed upwind with an old, experienced firefighter I know, and got a pic. I said to him that I just wanted to get a shot of the wheels, and I would be gone, but he said "No Brad, it's too dangerous, clear out." I retreated immediately to behind the safety of Tyabb's Tanker 2, which had just arrived. From there I was able to capture a short grab of video, and another picture.

     There was another bloke standing on the far side of Tanker 1. Also, the truck-driver was behind the overturned tanker, shovelling dirt to prevent leaking fuel from entering the drains, and the bay. I think he's a hero, as he was downwind directly in the explosion path. He would have been killed or very seriously burned if the fuel had ignited.

     I didn't want to get tangled up in the job, or get in the crew's way, so I retreated about 80 metres and got some good shots with my long lens. These shots turned out to be invaluable, and they were published on Twitter and by Channel 7. Channel Ten ran all the video and one still picture from my captures. The Herald Sun picked up one of my tweets and used the picture in a story. CFA were grateful for the pic of the Incident Controller sizing up the job.

     The following is a list of tweets and other information in chronological order:

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Brad Lemon

12/7/13