In a fireworks production plant, an employee was sieving power (perhaps black powder?) when an explosion occurred at 1:10 pm. The employee was killed on the spot, while 2 residents of the district where the plant was located were injured (including 1 child). The quantity of powder in the workshop at the time was estimated at 100 kg. The building was completely destroyed, and damage extended to some 40 homes in the immediate vicinity (shattered windows); emergency services evacuated neighbours as well as a nearby school. The site operator was not insured for any eventual damage external to the site; he refused to compensate neighbours on the grounds that they shouldn’t have built their homes so close to the plant. He claimed to benefit from a 322-metre “perimeter of protection” (easements?) that the authorities had failed to apply. Moreover, the operator had been storing 820 kg of explosives onsite, even though these storage areas were rated not to exceed 300 kg.