At a petrol station, a small leak occurs on the transfer lines running between a storage tank and an LPG tank trunk during delivery (started at 8:20 am). The leak ignites on a hot point in the truck’s engine. The driver and station attendant try in vain to stop the fuelled fire, then sound the alarm (8:24) and flee the site. The motorway and railway are closed to through traffic. Firefighters take position at the closest neighbouring residences. At 8:45, the tank of the truck (which is not equipped with a safety valve) bursts. A ball of fire measuring 40 metres across rises 25 metres above the ground, but no jolt is felt. The tank parts are propelled up to 125 metres. The station’s storage tank remains intact. The heat flow rate emitted by combustion of the cloud of LPG is estimated at 180 kW/m²