An explosion followed by a fire occurred at around 1:30 p.m. in a 50 m3 additive tank at a plant where engine oils, lubricants, and greases are produced. The explosion flung the tank into the air. It landed in a field 50 m away. The tank’s contents, which ignited in the explosion, spread flames to the adjacent buildings and other outdoor tanks. Three minutes later, a second tank exploded, shooting into the air and falling near the plant’s administrative buildings. A huge plume of black smoke rose into the sky and was visible 45 km away in Limoges. A cordon was set up and nearby residents were evacuated. The inhabitants was told to stay indoors. A hundred firefighters drenched the site with their nozzles and 17 m³ of foam compound, some of which was brought in by the fire and rescue services from two other counties. At first, they were only able to evacuate the employees and residents to safety and cool down the nearby homes because they neither had the foam compound required for this type of fire nor the equipment needed to deploy it. They brought the main seats of the fire under control at around 9:30 p.m. and the blaze was completely extinguished two days later. The intense heat (temperatures above 1300 °C) vitrified and destroyed the tanks’ concrete bunds and forced the firefighters to rotate frequently.

A boilermaker who was working on the first tank was killed during the accident. The 6000 m² plant was destroyed and 49 employees were furloughed. Fortunately, it was virtually empty when the accident occurred, as most of the employees had left on their lunch break. The hydrocarbon-laden firewater was collected and channelled to a nearby retention basin and lagoons dug by the firefighters during the fire. It was subsequently pumped out by a specialist firm.

A sleeve (the 11th of the day) fitted on the tank by the deceased boilermaker is believed to have caused the accident. Tank fires probably had not been considered when determining its dimensioning criteria and pressure rating. The characteristics of the product contained in the tanks may also have been a factor.

Insurers estimated the loss at €10 million, excluding production losses.

The unit was rebuilt at a cost of €12 million and the plant resumed operations in early 2019.