An overheating alarm was triggered at about 1:45 p.m. by overheating in a dryer on an agricultural cooperative containing 30 t of sunflower seeds. The staff checked the column’s drying caissons and discovered smoke and flames. The installation was secured, and 4 fire extinguishers were used to put out the flames while waiting for the emergency services to arrive.

The fire brigade, which arrived around 2:15 p.m., sprayed down the area, which stopped the smoke emissions. The upstream and downstream circuits were checked with a thermal camera. No anomalies were detected, and operations to empty the dryer began at 3:30 p.m. Both drying columns were emptied by 8 p.m. Staff supervised the facilities. Property damage was limited to 3 temperature probes destroyed and 30 t of sunflower seeds which were sent to composting. The dryer was cleaned the next day and put back into service on 03/10.

No objects that could have obstructed the flow of grain were found, and the columns had been cleaned the previous weekend. The hypotheses included a one-time dysfunction of the cleaner, the passage of a batch of goods with a heterogeneous moisture content or the presence of a foreign body blocking the flow of grain (presence of straw in the batch or other material).

The event was foreseen in the hazard study, and it corresponded to the scenario envisaged. The planned response procedures and means, as well as safety and crisis management instructions, ensured that the accident was kept under control.

Following the accident, the facility operator planned to check the foreign matter retention devices (grate), increased the vigilance of personnel regarding the risks related to trapped materials, checked the proper functioning of the cleaner by ensuring its optimal adjustment, reinforced the preventive maintenance of the dryer emptying systems (maintenance, lubrication, and especially the annual check of the proper operation of the evacuation clamp used in the event of an incident) and reviewed the location of the extinguishers.