An explosion occurred at a factory specialised in manufacturing tar, on an asphalt tank. An employee was welding with a blowtorch and wound up being ejected some 10 metres high; he was seriously hurt and hospitalised in critical condition. A second employee suffered burns and was also taken to hospital, as was a fire-fighter distressed by the heat. The explosion shook several homes and plants in the vicinity. More than 20 fire-fighters were needed to control the incident after 1 hour of battling the blaze by spraying foam.