Fire broke out in a wholesale hardware store located in the city centre at the site of a former foundry. The facility was storing in small packets 14 tonnes of sodium chlorate and 33,000 litres of flammable liquids (alcohol, solvents, etc.). Neighbours sounded the alert at 1:20 am. A series of violent explosions occurred during the emergency intervention. Metal girders were projected between 5 and 200 m (some flew over a nearby 8-storey building).
A 19-year-old woman was killed by one of the airborne metal girders. An elderly person sustained a very serious leg injury due to another girder. Eleven others, including 2 police officers and 2 fire-fighters, were slightly hurt by falling debris of all types sprayed by the explosion or else suffered respiratory difficulties. Property damage was valued at 17 million francs of inventory and 6 million of machinery (1981 currency). The fire ravaged the premises of a business adjacent to the store. Some 150 apartment units had their window panes blown out, shutters deteriorated or even inside doors and partition walls torn off. A building was forbidden for further living due to its dammage. A few panes were also shattered in buildings up to 200 m away.
The origin of the fire could not be determined with certainty; nonetheless, several hypotheses were forwarded:
- criminal act (responsibility was claimed for the fire in an anonymous phone call);
- act of malicious intent or negligence;
- an electrical fire (though the most recent installation verification report had indicated a satisfactory condition of the electrical installation);
- self-ignition of one of the products in inventory (several chemical compounds or compositions present onsite were unstable).
The origin of the explosions may be explained by the onsite presence of flammable liquids as well as sodium chlorate, which was capable of decomposing an explosive reaction when exposed to a heat or shock effect.
After this event, the Environmental Inspectorate conducted a enquiry that drew the following conclusions: “From a national perspective, this situation does not seem to require extensive modifications to regulations regarding classified facilities (only a few adaptations and the urgency of setting a sodium chlorate threshold are advised), although an awareness-building campaign aimed at relevant professions, chief among them the double circuit of hardware wholesalers, whether independent or cooperatives (despite accounting for just a small proportion of total product quantity distributed), may apply to the greatest number of businesses where safety has not been sufficiently addressed.”
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