At around 12:10 a.m., 200 t of compacted vehicles and various metals intended for shredding caught fire at a scrap metal processing plant. The waste pile was estimated to be 1500 m² in size and 15 m in height. The caretaker gave the alert at around 12:25 a.m. and then attempted to contain the fire with a hose. Firefighters arrived with water and foam compound hoses. However, the weak water supply had to be supplemented. Cranes were also used to reduce the size of the pile of burning waste. The firefighters declared the fire extinguished at around 9:30 p.m. the next day.

Consequences

A crane operator was taken to hospital for smoke inhalation. The firewater was collected in a 700 m³ retention pond which proved to be too small. An estimated 8000 l of foam compound was used at a cost of €24,000 (€3 per litre). The air and water were tested at points as far as 7 km away from the plant. The air quality results revealed nothing unusual and the results for the firewater were within with the site’s discharge values. The firewater was treated by ultrafiltration by a specialist company.

Causes

Footage recorded by the plant’s CCTV cameras did not show anything out of the ordinary. 

Lessons learnt

The problems experienced by the firefighters showed that it is possible to use water from the closed-circuit retention ponds. In addition, material damage was limited by the removal of the production tools. However, shaping the waste into islands would have made it possible to contain the fire much faster.

The concrete slab damaged by the fire is being repaired by the operator. The inspection authorities for classified facilities requested a technical and economic feasibility study into the sizing of the plant’s containment pond.