In a tannery, an electric immersion heater type of probe occasionally used to reheat small quantities of pasty fat remained switched on due to technician oversight. The probe proceeded to slowly heat the fat until its ultimate ignition. No employees were present, as the plant was closed on this Sunday. No nuisances were experienced by neighbours or first responders on the scene. Only a bit of smoke was released from the room, stemming from the can of burning fat. Fire-fighters extinguished the blaze within a few minutes using a simple water hose.

The tannery operator recovered the solid and pasty waste remaining on the floor once responders had left. The fat conveyed with extinction water into the retention basin was pumped. The fat and water were packaged separately for destruction. The cost of damages was estimated at €45,000, reflecting the destruction of daily product inventory, as just this quantity was present at the workstation, plus operating losses. When the tannery reopened on Monday, workshop production was actually reduced by half to allow for site cleaning. Production was restored to normal levels as of the next day. To lower the probability of recurrence, the electrical cabinet associated with this probe was renovated and modified to eliminate the possibility of an electric immersion heater remaining turned on.