At around 3:50 a.m., a fire broke out in an open 2,000 m³ building in a waste sorting centre. The fire involved two storage cells dedicated to bulky items (rubble, wood, ferrous and other metals, paper/cardboard, sorting waste, etc.), located upstream of the sorting chain. The personnel present sounded the alarm, called the fire brigade and began fighting the fire with hoses. The fire created a significant amount of smoke and prevented firefighters from getting near the combustion zone. They used foam monitors and hoses to fight the fire. The waste was removed using the site’s equipment. The fire was extinguished at around 6:00 p.m., and a monitoring system was put in place. Three-hundred twenty tonnes of waste were impacted.

After the firemen started their intervention, the site’s shut-off valves were actuated to contain the extinguishing water. However, the site’s stormwater collection network was not connected to a containment area large enough to contain accidental spillage in the event of a fire. Overflow of this water into the basin was noted (968 m³ of water was spilt out of the total 2,831 m³). A significant amount of emulsifier was visible. An emergency prefectoral order was issued, providing for diagnostic testing of the fire’s impact on the environment and health. The extinguishing water still present on the site was pumped out and disposed of. The analyses conducted on the water in the basin showed no degradation in the quality of the environment. Burnt waste was taken to a storage facility. Before resuming operations at the site, the operator verified that the facility’s safety devices were operating correctly and that the bulky waste storage building was fully operational. The building was secured to allow for the partial resumption of sorting operations. Upon completion of the renovation works, the site’s full activity resumed in December.

According to the facility operator, the fire may have been caused by an individual placing a flammable object (distress flare, battery, barbecue ashes, cigarette) among the bulky waste.

Following the accident, the operator:

• improved its fire detection and firefighting means (installation of water monitors in place of hoses) and its firefighting water management system (the price of the renovation work: €55,820 excluding VAT). In particular, as the available retention volume was insufficient in relation to the requirements, certain operations were required to bring the site into compliance;
• purchased a thermal camera (€1,080 excluding VAT) to bolster the means for monitoring the temperature of waste piles (3 times a day in the summer period, once a day outside the summer period);
• established a log book to monitor the temperature of the waste with a vigilance threshold set at 60 °C;
• reminded its staff of the receiving procedure, to better identify waste at risk;
• set up site operating guidelines in the event of degraded situations.