A fire detection system indicated a fire at 10:20 pm in one of the buildings of an agri-pharmaceuticals formulation, packaging and storage plant. The security guard alerted the shift manager who went on site and saw that a fire had started through the window of the workshop door. Plant-growth regulators, in the form of water-soluble powders, are intermittently synthesised in this workshop. After asking the security guard to alert the fire-fighters, the shift manager, equipped with self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) entered the workshop to extinguish a burning rubbish bin using a powder extinguisher, and then using a nearby first aid hose system. When the fire-fighters arrived at 10:35 pm, they noted that the fire had been contained and that the area had been secured. The charred debris, extinguishing powder and fire extinguishing water were contained in the workshop’s retention area. The workshop had been shut down at 2.30 pm on the day of the fire, after the bottling of PROCARPIL aqueous solution ( containing terpinolene) prepared the day before, in one-litre containers. As electrical causes and the presence of a naked flame (cigarettes) had been dismissed, the fire was presumed to be of chemical origin. Indeed, at 4.30 pm the sector manager had taken terpinolene samples for analysis, mentioning that he had used paper towels to wipe up the small amount of product that he had spilled during the sampling. The paper towel soaked with this substance had then been placed in the rubbish bin. The material safety data sheet (MSDS) for terpinolene does not indicate instability, but other sources mention possible spontaneous combustion on cloths. The manufacturer must send a detailed report to the inspection authorities for classified facilities stating the probable causes of the fire, and the measures taken or being considered in order to prevent a recurrence of a similar incident. The operator contacted all of its chemical suppliers for a systematic updating of the MSDS and informed the competent trade union for a national statement on the matter.