Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) responded to a fire in a building at a recycling facility in Laverton North on the evening of Thursday, November 21.
The FRV said that firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke billowing from a 50 x 100 metre factory and that crews wearing breathing apparatus entered the heavily smoke logged building and encountered the sound of explosions as they tried to locate the fire.
The FRV said firefighters found a container holding batteries marked for recycling to be on fire.
FRV crews contained the fire before it spread to multiple batteries and other materials within the building.
The FRV said three workers at the facility suffering smoke inhalation were provided medical support by firefighters before being placed in the care of Ambulance Victoria.
The fire was brought under control at 8.34pm, 63 minutes after FRV arrived on scene.
The cause of the fire was deemed to be the batteries overheating and igniting.
