Fire broke out around 11:45 pm in a 600-m² building at a paint factory. One hour prior, a surveillance patrol had noticed nothing unusual. The alarm was quickly sounded, and some 100 nearby residents were evacuated during the response due to explosion risks tied to the presence of chemical products (nitrocellulose and flammable liquids). Nearly 70 fire-fighters were mobilised in an attempt to control the blaze before it spread to neighbouring buildings and extinguish the flames darting tens of meters above the roofline. Fire-fighters, backed up by company staff volunteer responders, quickly contained the outbreak; 4 hours after the alert, the fire was completely extinguished. The production building, laboratory and administrative offices were all destroyed, but no victims were reported. The extinction water and spilled liquids were confined before being pumped and discharged as waste. The local gendarmerie conducted an investigation and a judicial expert was appointed; the expert’s report focused on an electrical malfunction despite the absence of inappropriate equipment on the premises where the fire ignited.