In a pesticide manufacturing plant, fire broke out at 6:55 am during production of a fungicide inside a granulator (water-based liquid flux in hot air).

The device, installed since summer 2007, had been operating 7 months a year; this production run was initiated at the site 3 days earlier.

No deviation in production control parameters (temperature, pressure, reagent quality, etc.) had been notified when a “fire detection” warning was relayed to the equipment control room, with alarms activated on both the temperature and pressure variation detectors. The 70°C rise in temperature within 13 seconds initiated the safe mode by shutting the hot air inlet. The protective equipment for pressure surges (i.e. inerting by sodium acid carbonate and a bursting disc) however was not activated. Personnel heard a small explosion and saw flames and smoke. The operator implemented its internal emergency plan, and the entire facility was placed in safe mode; the fire was extinguished at 7:55 am. The thick blackish smoke, visible at the level of the site’s discharge chimney, was caused by combustion of the granulator’s polyester filters, along with 400 kg of phytosanitary products made from phosety-aluminine and fenamidone.

No human or environmental impacts were detected. The extinction water remained onsite and was routed to a containment pond. Nitrogen oxide and sulphur concentration measurements taken by the response units did not reveal any significant impact in the atmosphere.

The operator issued a press release. The classified facilities inspectorate visited the site on the same day. The granulator remained turned off; its restart was subject to the operator’s submission of a detailed accident report and demonstration of effective control of facility safety.