Fire broke out on the basement level of a silo at a farming cooperative. The pump feeding a cereal treatment agent had failed the prior week. During repairs performed by cooperative employees, several litres of this flammable (flash point: 36°C) and noxious solution spread on the ground and then accumulated in a sump. On the day of the accident, subcontracted workers were carrying out cutting and welding adjacent to this spill without noticing its presence; splatter with hot spots ignited the liquid. The fire extinction resources listed in the ‘hot work permit’ turned out to be ineffectual and the blaze spread to the dust storage zone. Employees evacuated the zone; one person sustained slight burns to his hand by the rungs of the safety ladder positioned near the outbreak. In arriving at the scene, fire-fighters observed that the fire had self-extinguished, as the cleanliness of the silo had served to limit its extension. Property damage (3 lighting devices and the lift pump) was valued at €1,500. Human deficiencies and organisational anomalies caused this accident, e.g. unfamiliarity of the risks associated with this treatment product, an inadequate review of the work zone, inappropriate fire extinction resources outlined in the hot work permit, incomplete information held by the subcontractor. The inspection authorities for classified facilities proposed an injunction imposing: designation of a Head of Operations, personnel training to be offered on ‘silo’-related risks, updated operating guidelines and procedures for maintenance / repair works, availability of treatment product safety fact sheets and identification of product distribution networks, and inclusion of accident experience feedback at the operator’s other facilities.