In a cement factory, a technician noticed wisps of smoke on a conveyor belt. The smoke was probably related to contact with excessively hot clinker from the kiln. At 3:35 p.m., the technician alerted the security manager who triggered the internal crisis unit and contacted the fire brigade.

To facilitate the fire extinguishing efforts, the operator maintained the conveyor belt in operation. An intervention team used the fire hose from another floor to cool down the excessively hot clinker. The melting conveyor belt was brought under control, but smoke was released as a result of the extinguishing water in the gallery above. The cooled clinker continued to move upwards towards the storage building. Rescuers wearing SCBAs, on site at 3:50 p.m., used an aerial basket to inspect the upper area near the storage silos. The intervention ended at around 5:20 p.m.

The following actions were undertaken by the manufacturer:

• containment and analysis of the fire extinguishing water stored in a recovery basin;
• the inspection authorities for classified facilities were informed;
• the conveyor belt supplier was contacted to ensure replacement.

As the cause of the accident was determined to be a load of excessively hot clinker, the operator plans to implement a system to automatically measure the temperature of the product before it reaches the conveyor belt. This temperature sensor is coupled with a servo drive. Thus, when a non-compliant temperature is detected, the overheated clinker is prevented from accessing the conveyor belt while it is contained in the loading hopper.