A fire raged for more than 22 hours after a series of explosions at an industrial site in Canberra, Australia.

Fire crews were called to the scene last Thursday night (15 September), shortly before midnight with the blaze finally under control just before 10pm the following evening.

Smoke and ash from the building saw a 10-kilometre exclusion zone being enforced, affecting some 1,300 businesses. There were no serious injuries reported but Canberra residents were told to stay indoors.

The Australia Capital Territory (ACT) Fire Brigade were helped by hazardous materials crews from Fire and Rescue New South Wales and worked through the night and the following day to contain the blaze. Reports in Australia suggest the fire was fuelled by drums of oil and transformer oil on the site.

At the height of the blaze in the early hours of Friday morning, a series of explosions rocked homes across Canberra's north, prompting evacuations and warnings. Schools were closed and bus services were crippled. The fire service received more than 2,000 calls relating to the incident by Friday afternoon.

Initial tests showed that there no toxic chemicals were found in the area.

Three separate investigations are underway into the fire.