An explosion occurred at 9 am. during the filling of a tank truck with nitrous oxide (N2O), followed by a fire. Eleven employees, among whom the truckdriver, suffered minor injuries as a result of projected debris. The company and several buildings in the area sustained heavy damage. Windows in the area were broken.

The police and fire brigade evacuated 12 companies, several houses and a building for vocational training. Employees, residents and students were sheltered in a nearby sports hall. They were allowed to return to their offices and houses around 11 am. The costs of the damage are estimated at 1 million euros.

The explosion was caused by an explosive decomposition of nitrous oxide vapour in the tank that contained around 800 kg N2O. The decomposition of the vapour was initiated by the shaft of one of the pumps of the road tanker, which had overheated in one of its bearings. The decomposition propagated through the piping system to the tank. The main reason for overheating was the lack of cooling due to inadequate filling with liquid nitrous oxide. Due to inadequate working instructions (not detailed enough and showed only once to the truck driver), variations in the way procedures are being followed are possible and, that time, the pumps were inadequately cooled before they were started. As a result, the pumps were filled with gaseous nitrous oxide.

The operator will take measure to prevent overheating of the pump and install flame arrestors. He will improve its procedures and the formation of the employees.