A fire broke out in a chlorinated rubber manufacturing plant. The combustion released a thick acrid smoke containing an irritant gas (hydrogen chloride and carbon tetrachloride). The operators shut-down the plant. As the plume drifted off-site across the residential areas, the local population in path of smoke plume have to stay indoors. The roads adjacent to the site were closed . Outside the establishment, nine people were hospitalised for minor nose and throat irritation .

Large accumulations of dry material inside the dryer smouldered and then ignited by prolonged overheating. Previous tests made by the company were based on finished products which had substantially different thermal stability characteristics. On the day of the accident, the plant start-up temperature control to the hot air feed system was by-passed. The HSE required that the company have to demonstrate that the operations in using the alloprene dryers were safe before to bring them back into use