At around 9:30 a.m., a fire broke out in the alfalfa bale drying cyclone of a company specialised in the manufacture of animal feed, and then spread to the fodder press. The alarms and internal sprinkler systems were triggered. The guillotine valve, upstream of the dryer’s bag filter, closed and the suction was shut off. The emergency rescue services were able to bring the fire under control with 2 fire hoses, then sprayed down the structure. The plant was shut down, and an employee suffering from smoke inhalation was taken to the hospital. The rescue personnel left the site at around 6:00 p.m. Thirty bag filters had been destroyed. Extinguishing water caused damage to the shredder motor. The water was collected in the site’s lagoon and then treated prior to release.

At the time of the accident, the alfalfa was sticky and wet due to the weather conditions prior to the accident. In such conditions, it easily becomes stuck to the walls of the cyclone of the drying system. On the day of the accident, work was being conducted by subcontractors, without a fire permit, above the receiving building and near the mill’s intake system. This work generated a hot-spot that made its way to the mill’s intake system. The fire then spread to the cyclone used to dry alfalfa bales. The company does not issue fire permits and does not specify the work area and the tools used in the work order because the work is planned off-site. The risks associated with the work were therefore not analysed.

Following the accident, the operator replaced the equipment damaged by the fire.