Dairy farmers are forced to pour milk down the drain as machinery in the pasteurisation process rely on gas. The State Government in conjunction with local councils looks at providing assistance under the disaster plan to frail and elderly residents. The bodies of maintenance supervisor John Lowery and Peter Wilson are identified. The Premier, Mr Jeff Kennett, demands a full explanation of the explosion from Esso and gives a deadline of noon on Monday. Esso announces it cannot predict when the fire would be extinguished or when gas supplies could be resumed.
Retailers report a big demand for electrical cooking and heating appliances.
Panic buying of food is evident. Car manufacturers Ford and Toyota announce a total of 7000 stand-downs as machinery is brought to a halt. AGL, which owns the gas link with NSW, can pump enough gas across the border to provide Victoria with 2 per cent of its gas requirements, enough to meet emergency needs. The fire at plant 1 is finally contained. Plants 2 and 3 at Longford cannot begin operation because pipes common to all three plants have been damaged.