Shortly after the end of operations, a fire broke out on a 5,000 m³ stockpile of wood waste in a green waste composting and wood waste shredding centre. At 9 p.m., an employee passing by the site saw the flames and raised the alarm. A large plume of smoke emerged with the formation of stagnant fog. The smell of smoke was noted as far away as Chambéry and Grenoble. About thirty firemen sprayed down the wood stock with 5 hoses supplied by the runoff water collection basin and by Francin Lake located just 400 m from the site. Using 2 grapple shovels, the employees unloaded the stock of wood chips that were not impacted. Firefighters spread out and drowned the piles to avoid any recurrence of the fire. The extinguishing water was directed to the 1,200 m³ retention basin that had been recently installed by the operator. The operation ended on 31/10 at the end of the day. A security guard monitored the site over the weekend.
The operator estimated that 2,000 m³ of wood had been burnt. The 5,000 m³ of wood waste was divided into 3 separate piles: incoming wood waiting to be shredded / pre-shredded wood / finely shredded wood placed 10 m apart from each other. The 2 piles that had caught fire were in fact waste awaiting shredding and pre-shredded waste. The pile of shredded wood was spared. The fire did not spread to the green waste waiting to be composted or to the compost stock as the isolation distances had been respected.
Property damage was minimal (a conveyor belt was destroyed), but operating losses were significant. The platform’s activities were interrupted for more than a week. During this period, the flow of incoming waste, both green vegetation and wood, was redirected to other facilities.
Significant air pollution was observed in the urban basin of the Savoy region. The air quality monitoring stations detected high concentrations of dust, and notices were issued on 28 and 29/10.
The inspection authorities for classified facilities, who were informed the morning after the fire started, went to the site on 29/10 to assess the circumstances and consequences of the fire and verify compliance with certain requirements of the prefectural decree.
The operator analysed the extinguishing water retained in the basin before using it to spray down the rows of compost. The calcined waste was separated for drying and then passed through a screen to recover the marketable fraction after grinding. A waste disposal service was sought to handle fines (non-recoverable waste) produced during the screening process.
The fire reportedly started in the incoming wood waste pile located along the site’s fence, next to an access road. It then spread to the nearby pile of pre-crushed wood waste. In all likelihood, the fire was of criminal origin. The site had already been the victim of 2 fires involving green waste awaiting shredding and composting, in September 2009 (36919) and November 2013. Malicious intent was suspected.
The facility operator was considering installing a video surveillance system. Plans have also been made to reduce the quantity of incoming waste that is not shredded, which is more flammable and therefore increases the risk of fire spread. The inspection authorities for classified facilities required the operator to implement measures to prevent the spread of a fire from one pile to another.
