In the aftermath of the spectacular fire in a chemical factory classified as particularly dangerous in Rouen, in Seine-Maritime, which did not make any victims, concerns remain about the health and ecological consequences of this industrial accident and the safety of the site .
Created in 1954 on the banks of the Seine, left bank, this factory has been classified Seveso because of the risks that its activity involves.
- Is the fire out?
The fire is out, said Friday September 27 Benoît Lemaire, the director of cabinet of the prefect of Normandy. “We are maintaining the workforce on site in order to continue cooling all of the barrels on site (…) there are still some hot spots,” said Chris Chislard, spokesperson for the Seine-maritime firefighters on France Bleu. Seine-maritime / Eure. As of Friday, light white smoke was still emanating from the factory and an “unpleasant smell” persisted, linked to the fact that hydrocarbons burned. A total of 200 firefighters took part in the operations.
“In the coming days, there will be work not necessarily extinction but monitoring” of hot spots, due in particular to the presence of flammable products, added the colonel of the firefighters. “The site is very large and it must be visited in a very meticulous way, including the sewers,” added on Thursday evening the prefect of Normandy.
- What is the origin of the fire?
For the moment, the causes of this fire remain unknown. An investigation to determine the origin was opened by the Rouen public prosecutor’s office which began the investigations on Thursday. In a statement, the Lubrizol factory said that “the fire affected a warehouse, a barrel-fitting installation and an administrative building”. The part affected by the fire represents “approximately 10% of the Lubrizol site”, or “1.1 hectares out of 14”. A factory official said on Saturday September 28 on Europe 1 that the fire would have started in the middle of the night in an area where there is no activity, only storage.
- What are the safety instructions?
People living near the factory can now return to their homes, after a period of confinement decreed by the authorities. Schools in the 12 municipalities concerned and part of Rouen remained closed on Friday and “reopen on Monday”. “All the cleanings will have taken place in schools, colleges and high schools that have been closed,” assured the Minister of Education Jean-Michel Blanquer.
Public transport in the agglomeration was stopped “gradually” Thursday afternoon and resumed normally Friday morning. A 500-meter prohibition perimeter has been established around the plant.
- Is there a risk to the health of residents?
The CGT asked in a press release for “complete transparency on the risks involved” after the fire, worrying about the level of security in this company where a serious incident had already occurred in 2013. On this last point, the prefect said that this factory “is up to standard as we saw it in 2019”, “perfectly level”. However, he acknowledged that “it was not always so” and that in 2017, “it was the subject of a formal notice” due to “17 failures” then “the upgrade has has been achieved, “he said.
According to the prefecture, the plume did not present any acute toxicity. “The risk of over-accident is under control,” said Colonel Jean-Yves Lagalle, head of the Seine-Maritime fire department, on Thursday. “We must not stay downwind of smoke,” he added. The toxicity is not acute, but these fumes are toxic, like all pollution. The risk exists, but there is a dilution in the atmosphere. We control it. ” Thanks to a specialized truck from the Directorate General of Civil Security (DGSC), a more detailed analysis of the substances contained in the pollution cloud was carried out. The results “confirm the first analyzes,” said the prefect, who noted “an absence of hydrogen sulfide, a single measured value of sulfur oxide and low values of nitrogen oxide. These are classic carbonaceous substances that are still found in fire smoke. “
Following a fire of this magnitude, the emanation of odors, which can resemble gas as some residents have described, is not a surprise, said the prefect. The smell “very heady can actually give headaches, even go to vomiting, but it is not synonymous with toxic situation”, assured a doctor, Benoît Jardel, during a press conference at Prefecture. “Mercaptan, since it is released, is a gas which causes, from very very low concentrations, reactions of the organism but it would take very high concentrations to have things in the long term”, a- he added.
During this phenomenon, the SAMU received a significant number of calls.
- Rouen is “clearly polluted”
The fire “clearly polluted” the city of Rouen, said Minister of Health Agnès Buzyn on Friday, while relaying reassuring messages from the government. “We have to imagine this (…) like tar patties on the beaches. If we see tar patties on the beaches, we will ask the children not to touch them and to wash their hands”, a she explained. “It is the same thing that we ask the residents: to clean this soot, these pancakes, this dirt, visually very identifiable by putting on gloves,” she advised. “It is a factory that produces hydrocarbons: even if they are not in large quantities, even if they are very close to the thresholds, it is never good for the population to touch this kind of products”, a said the minister.
- Is there a risk for the Seine?
The Polmar (Maritime Pollution) plan was deployed to avoid pollution of the Seine. It is an intervention plan triggered in the event of accidental marine pollution. It is “not impossible that some traces be found beyond the dams during the tide” but they will be “easily recoverable because on the surface”. There is “no risk” for drinking water because there is no catchment in the sector, said an official at the prefecture. Some oil slabs appeared on the Seine on Friday.
»SEE ALSO – Fire in Rouen:” The elements of the prefect are reassuring “for Hervé Morin
- The fallout from the smoke cloud is shocking
On Twitter, Internet users living in Rouen have posted intriguing photos in which we can see a strange black rain that fell on the city, imposing an oily and black veil on cars, in gardens, on tar, everywhere. Many locals are worried about what has fallen from the sky. According to the Seine-Maritime prefecture, these are “soot deposits”, traces of hydrocarbons falling from the smoke cloud. On his site, she recommends “do not touch the fallout of soot” and “wash your hands in case of contact”.
The prefecture also recommends that farmers “do not harvest their produce”, bring in their animals and not let them eat food contaminated with soot. Individuals must avoid consuming vegetables and fruits from the garden “which cannot be peeled or washed thoroughly”.
The soot that fell on the city and its surroundings due to the plume of smoke will “give rise to additional analyzes”.
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