At around 8:00 p.m., a fire started in a skip filled with mattresses behind a 3000 m² metal-framed building housing a press and a shredder at a non-hazardous waste sorting and treatment facility. The fire spread to a skip of final waste stored nearby and then to the inside of the building. The sprinkler system went off, saving the press/shredder assembly. The groundskeeper alerted the firefighters. To have enough water, hoses had to be lain out over 1 km. The scorching summer temperatures made the firefighters’ job that much harder. The personnel closed the shut-off valve to contain the firewater and placed socks around the wooden platform. The fire was declared out at around midnight. The plant was monitored. The debris was cleared away with a backhoe loader. The shed was ventilated so that readings could be made with a thermal imaging camera.

The burnt waste (160 m³ of sorted packaging and 100 m³ of final waste) was sent to a storage facility. The burnt materials and equipment (smoke vents, fire-hose reels, fire extinguishers, part of the roof) were taken away. An expert assessment was made to ensure that the building’s structural integrity was not compromised. The firewater contained on the site was pumped up by a specialist company.

According to the operator, the combination of drought and scorching temperatures ignited the fire in the mattress skip.

Since the accident, the operator:

• added a 100 m³ flexible water tank;
• has waste systematically sprayed at the end of each day;
• hired a security firm to monitor the facility during non-business hours.