A fire broke out in the dehydration workshop of an industrial nitrocellulose manufacturing plant. The unit received a 90% water and nitrocellulose (NC) mixture through hydraulic pipes directed towards dehydration presses. Using pressure, the water was flushed with ethanol which was injected (up to 35% in weight) through the NC fibres. Water and alcohol promoted NC stabilisation and reduced the risks of ignition during its transportation. The cake extracted from the press was ground, then packaged in kraft drums or boxes for shipping. At 2.02 pm, a technician working in the test laboratory noticed a light (flash?) on the grinder of the press. A 2nd technician working on another press heard a blast and saw flames around the alcohol pumps that spread to the roofs. After seeing the outbreak of fire, the laboratory technician rushed to activate the ‘flooding’ emergency button which controlled the water deluge on the 3 press lines and the grinders located downstream. Close to 20 s after the flash, there was a 2nd explosion in another workshop. The building was evacuated. The plant’s firefighters raced into action faced with the fire spreading to the alcohol tanks, presses P5, P6 and to the roofs. The internal emergency plan was activated and Bergerac’s emergency services arrived at 2.20 pm assisted by firefighters from several other fire stations. The alcohol vapour fires were contained at 2.15 pm and the NC fires were contained at 2.30 pm. At the time of the incident, the presses and centrifugal machines were shut down as the preparer was measuring the level of ethanol in the NC. The fire spread to several rooms due to successive ignition of NC dust ever present in the building. The fire would have started above the canopy of the NC loading dock and caused the 1st explosion of a PVC rainwater pipe containing NC dust. It was then conveyed by the roofs to an unused stainless steel pipe also containing NC dust which exploded causing missile effects in the NC mixing tank workshop. No one was injured. Material damages amounted to 650,000 euros: roofs, channels, supply networks, production equipment (presses, grinders, and press alcohol tanks). The installations were shut down with no technical unemployment. The 90 t of soiled NC present in the machines and mixing tanks had to be incinerated.