Pollution
Humain
Environnement
Economique

In a company recycling papers and plastics, fire broke out at the output of a grinder used to destroy archives. Employees used several extinguishers were unable to control the blaze. Ten persons evacuated the premises in withdrawing all mobile equipment. The fire spread to a 3200 m² building containing 300 tons of paper, 25 tons of PVC and 100 tons of spooled polyethylene. First responders managed to protect a small depot storing cans of chemical products that company staff had successfully removed. The 60-person fire-fighting crew was on-site 1 hour later deploying 7 hoses (combined flow rate: 360 m³/hour) to bring the outbreak under control and protect a neighbouring farm. Rapid drawdown of the site’s 400 m³ water reserve necessitated installing 1.7 km of pipes in order to tap the water of a pond located beyond the adjacent railway, whose traffic had to be suspended for several hours. The release of hydrochloric acid (10 ppm) imposed proceeding with a self-breathing equipment. Complete extinction of the fire had mobilised fire-fighters for 24 hours and required a tremendous quantity of water, which led to a significant dilution of potential pollutants contained in extinction water being channelled into a lagoon downstream of water supply extraction points. The accident caused no victims. The building and its machinery (bale press, paper crusher and roll cutter) were destroyed. The amount of damages was appraised at €1.8 million. According to the plant operator, a metal part generated sparks or heating in the crusher, igniting dust and crushed papers. The operator replaced the crusher with a model operating at lower speed and moreover fitted the paper feed belt with a metal detector.