A fire broke out at around 12 noon in 1 of the 3 vertical metal storage cells of a rapeseed silo. The fire created a significant amount of smoke. Fearing an explosion, the rescue services established a security perimeter of 200 m, evacuated 15 residents and interrupted rail traffic on the line passing next to the site. Firefighters were able to cool down the container from the outside and spread out a foam mat on the top.

The safety perimeter was lifted at 4:30 p.m. and the rapeseed was removed. New outbreaks of fire were put out in the evening. The worm screw used for evacuation proved to be inefficient, so holes were cut in the wall. The intervention ended the next day at around 11:30 p.m. A firefighter suffered burns during the operation.

The emergency services encountered difficulties related to:

• rapeseed, resulting in the release of a great deal of heat and smoke (transformation rapeseed->oil),
• the quantities of material involved (800 t),
• the type and condition of the cell itself, which did not allow gravitational emptying, nor an inerting process,
• the failure to restart electricity (the utility company called in for the emergency was not the regular supplier).

The silo had been operating since August 2013 without temperature monitoring.

The Inspection authorities for classified facilities visited the site after the accident and asked the facility operator to:

• rectify its administrative situation by submitting a declaration file within 3 months,
• remove dust in the installations,
• monitor temperatures,
• install safety devices on transfer installations, etc.