At 7:30 am, fire broke out in a 200-m² mattress factory; a thick toxic smoke was released with flames extending several meters high. The fire spread, destroying 10 to 15 m³ of polyurethane foam; four 200-l drums of methylene chloride exploded. A portion of this highly volatile substance spilled into the water network along with 200 l of polyol.

Gendarmes evacuated nearby homes and businesses, and population confinement measures were adopted for Basse-Terre, Baillif and Saint-Claude. Fire-fighters extinguished the blaze around 10:30 am using 6 nozzles despite some water supply problems; a foam trailer was planned as an intervention step. Once the fire had been extinguished, responders swept the premises clean. A press release was issued. A laboratory was commissioned to perform drinking water network sampling in order to determine whether the extinction water had introduced pollution; the results of these analyses, published the following day, showed only normal readings.

The production zone was destroyed, but the sales area and warehouse were spared. The fire was accidental: during welding work, a spark would have reached the foam, causing the fire to ignite and then spread to the substances present onsite. Since the factory was set up in an inappropriate location (i.e. adjacent to a school, high-density housing), the site would no longer host mattress making activity.