A fire broke out on a stock of 1,000 t (5,000 m³) of wooden pallets in a transit, grouping and composting centre specialising in wood waste and green waste. Employees sounded the alarm at 6 a.m. when they arrived on site. About sixty firefighters were involved to prevent the spread of the fire, particularly to a nearby green waste storage site. They set up a large firefighting system and sprayed down the burning stock, drawing water from the facility’s 3 basins as well as from a nearby pond. Employees had difficulty fighting the fire with the mechanical equipment available on site owing to the abundant smoke. During these operations, one of the employees fell and was injured.

The accident emitted significant flames and smoke, visible from a distance. Due to the unfavourable wind direction, the presence of smoke was monitored throughout the event with regards to the highway and railway line adjacent to the site. As a precaution, a speed limit was imposed on train movements.

The fire brigade put out the fire at around midnight and finished in the morning of the following day. Train traffic resumed at normal speed a few hours later.

The facility operator estimated the damage at 500,000 Euros.

On site, the inspection authorities for classified facilities required the operator to pump fire-extinguishing water and to take water and soil samples for analysis. A hazard study was submitted one month after the accident.

The fire apparently started near one of the wooden pallet shredders before spreading to the nearby pallet stock.

Arson was suspected. The site, which is very isolated, had experienced monitoring problems. Equipment had been stolen a few weeks earlier.