Pollution
Humain
Environnement
Economique

A fire broke out at 10.15 am on a ventilation motor in the freezer tunnel of a 5,000 m² industrial bakery. Located in the town centre and not properly authorised, the non- “sprinkled” establishment produced frozen industrial bread for mass production. The alert was raised at 10.19 am and the site was evacuated as a precaution.

Upon the arrival of the 1st fire engine, a nozzle was set up whilst waiting for the electricity utility workers. A large ladder was set up at around 10.50 am and the roof, where grey and yellowish smoke was escaping, was sprayed. Firefighters intervened assisted by employees, but a stock of cardboard boxes, plastics, flour and sugar fuelled the fire which spread throughout the building and to the roof. At around 11 am, around ten onlookers noticed flames that were several metres high and a thick black and grey cloud of smoke in the sky. The emergency services ramped up the firefighting; over 85 firefighters from 6 fire stations intervened with significant equipment resources: 27 fire engines, 8 m³/min of water sprayed with 12 large nozzles (500 l/min) and 2 high-power nozzles (1,000 l/min), 3 EPA, etc. A crisis unit was opened in the Prefecture between 1.15 and 1.55 pm. The police set up a safety perimeter, 1 avenue and 3 streets were closed to traffic at 11.30 am and 200 people were evacuated (site employees and 30 people living close by). Around one hundred onlookers were moved away for safety reasons a little before midday due to risks of explosion of the refrigeration units containing 3 t of fluorinated refrigerant. Explosive gases and phosgene measurements taken by 2 chemical emergency squads were negative. The fire was contained at around 1.17 pm, and all risks of explosion, toxic emission or pollution of the sewage systems was eliminated. Fires that were difficult to reach persisted until 3 pm, and the last one on the roof was extinguished at around 5 pm. Monitoring continued throughout the night. Residents went home after 5.30 pm and traffic was partially resumed. The last hydraulic equipment was removed the next day at 1 pm.

The establishment was destroyed, losses were assessed at 30 million euros and 166 employees were placed on technical unemployment. In March 2006, in Great Britain, a similar fire had been contained using a sprinkler system required for reconstruction of the establishment following a 1st fire that caused 38 million euros of damage and losses for the company concerned.