Explosion in an oil depot
A leak occurred at the level of a fitting on a 12" racking pipe located downstream of the foot valve on a 4,525 m³ tank containing unleaded gasoline with a 98 octane rating (SP98). The retention basin of this tank[...]
Derailment of a petrol train and fire
A 22-railcar convoy derailed at 11:50 pm in a small town of 2,000 residents; 9 tanks carrying 80 m³ of unleaded fuel spilled, ignited and exploded. This burning gasoline consumed dwellings and reached the sewer system. Electricity had to be[...]
Explosion following a refinery leak
An explosion occurred around 1:00 am in a single-family dwelling. On their return from a trip, the homeowner by drawing hot water from a tap caused the water heater to turn on, causing ignition of the hydrocarbon vapours that had[...]
Fire in a tire depot
Fire broke out in an open depot containing 10 million tyres (200,000 m³) over a 5-ha zone, which was divided into 5 storage areas with a 4-m average height (max: 7 m). The blaze began in a corner of the[...]
Explosion and fire in a chemical factory
An explosion and a fire occurred during the night in a chemical plant during the manufacture of a silicon oil- and additive-based waterproofing agent. A junior technician (hired 6 months back), recently assigned to this post, was left without supervision[...]
Fire in a warehouse of phytosanitary products
A fire broke out within a warehouse (depot 956) containing phytosanitary products south of Basel. The first responders had been on the scene for 20 min. when fire-fighting teams from neighbouring sites arrived to provide backup. The 80-m high flames[...]
Pollution of the RHONE by pyrocatechine
At around 10.15 pm, a fire engulfed a 1,600-m² warehouse containing finished chemical products. Despite rapid intervention, the fire menaced a nitric acid production unit, thirteen 1-ton containers of dimethylsulfate (DMSO4) and ammonia tanks. The metal framework and the roof[...]
Release of acrolein in RHONE
20 t of acrolein was released into the Rhone River. The manufacturing unit was undergoing its annual shutdown at the time and the neutralisation ponds (2 x 250 m³) were under repair. For the last four months, the tank cleaning[...]
Reaction runaway and dioxin release
A chemical plant that had stopped its production for the weekend released a toxic cloud containing 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzodioxin into the atmosphere : 6½ hours earlier, at the end of the shift, the production cycle of 1,2,4,5-trichlorophenol had been stopped while only[...]
