Hazelwood fire caused worker's illness: Dr

A Victorian doctor has linked a mine worker's life-threatening respiratory illness to the Hazelwood mine fire.

Mining contractor David Briggs worked for three months to put out the fire, and has since developed a respiratory illness, ABC's PM program reported.

Doctor Eddie Foo said Mr Briggs was a very fit man before he worked at the mine.

"He doesn't even have any respiratory problems in the past and it's only shortly after he worked in this mine he developed all these quite severe respiratory symptoms," Mr Foo said.

"So to me it's pretty obvious whatever he's been exposed to in the mine is causing him this lung disease."

A bushfire in the Latrobe Valley spread to the Hazelwood open cut mine at Morwell in 2014. The mine fire burned for 45 days and forced much of the town to evacuate.