A violent fire that broke out around 9 am in a plastics factory was exacerbated by 4 explosions occurring as first responders arrived on the scene. These explosions emanated from gas bottles on forklifts and acetylene bottles lying in the workshop. Several ignition sources were identified in the warehouse containing plastics and miscellaneous dyes, as well as in the workshop. Flames darting 40 m high, according to eyewitnesses, moved dangerously close to the site’s administrative area. Local gendarmes set up a 200-m safety perimeter. The significant quantity of smoke released and volume of water sprayed created major air/water pollution risks. Some 30 single-family homes were evacuated as a precautionary measure. Fire-fighters placed an earthen bund at the site entrance to retain the pumped extinction water, in addition to plugging the municipal storm drain system. Since the cumulative discharges could not be contained on-site, hydrocarbons and plastics slightly polluted the REMARDE River. The metal building structure collapsed, complicating access to the many ignition sources. At 7 pm, fire-fighters initiated a monitoring plan that would be lifted around 3 pm the next day. An employee using a solvent spray to clean factory parts was squirted by the liquid due to a draught originating from the air compressor room, the door of which had been left open. The liquid ignited for an unknown reason. The employee was seriously injured, and the fire then spread throughout the installation. According to employee accounts collected by gendarmes, a small explosion occurred in the vicinity of the air compressors. Property damage was extensive, as 95% of the factory was destroyed. The 2000-m² building housing the plastics (polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene) was razed and 27 employees had to be made redundant.