Warrnambool CFA attended a suspected hazardous material leak at the rear of the Salvation Army store in the city on Friday, which sparked a reminder for people not to donate flammable items.
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There was no risk to the public and the incident was quickly resolved.
Senior station officer David Ferguson said the inappropriate disposal of potentially hazardous products could lead to accidents in the workplace.
"This shop is a vital store to the community," he said.
"We don't want to see it stopped due to the cluelessness of others."
Staff at the store enacted their fire plan and evacuated all customers inside safely.
"The staff knew what to do and it made it easy for us," Mr Ferguson said.
Manager Leanne Atksinson urged people not to donate gas bottles or camp cookers with butane gas canisters.
"We are lucky nothing occurred," she said.
"We put our protocols into place and it all went smoothly."
She said the Salvos store took any items which were in good condition.
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