Fire broke out at a site specialised in collecting, sorting and storing industrial wastes before their transport and ultimate treatment. At the time of the accident, this large-scale platform was warehousing 480 tonnes of miscellaneous chemical waste. Fire-fighters, unable to extinguish the blaze, opted for a strategy of protecting nearby premises and allowing the inflamed buildings to continue burning. The waste storage hangar was destroyed. The lack of information on substances held in storage further complicated the task of first responders: a very violent and fast spreading fire, onsite storage of potentially toxic substances, etc. The Mayor launched an emergency plan for the immediate vicinity : a safety perimeter was set up, and all other companies nearby were evacuated. Sewer lines were isolated to recover extinction water. Measurements by fire-fighters using Drager tubes revealed the absence of any health risks for the neighbouring population. Other authorities however decided to enact measures, including: confining cattle to stables, destroying cut fodder, and separating out milk produced during this period. The accident was due to a blaze smouldering in the waste storage depot combined with the presence of mutually incompatible wastes. The malfunction of existing protection systems, which had nonetheless been authorised by an independent body of experts, exacerbated the outbreak: the automatic fire extinction was inoperable; the ventilation system was not standardised; and the shutters failed to close automatically. Moreover, the quantity of foam available was insufficient and fire-fighters’ supply lines were inappropriate. As a follow-up, additional analyses were conducted, yet without reaching definitive conclusions: the measures specific to agriculture were lifted. Given the poor understanding of this accident and neighbours’ concerns, new measurements were taken and a legal investigation pursued. The media impact of this event was considerable.

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