A fire on Thursday ravaged a warehouse occupying thousands of square metres at the Saint-Gobain site in Auvelais, Namur Province.
The blaze, which began around 4:15 p.m., was swiftly handled by firefighters from the Val de Sambre region. In under two hours, they managed to control the fire, preventing it from spreading to a neighbouring hall hosting 1000 tonnes of pellets.
The cause of the fire appears to be accidental.
“The warehouse contained a variety of waste material – plastic rubbish, aerosol cans, metals, hydrocarbons and even fridges,” said fire service zone commander Marc Gilbert, who was on the scene. “With the help of a federal police helicopter, we quickly identified the source of the fire, which was located in a single container. In my view, the fire was accidental but perhaps the public prosecutor may still conduct standard checks.”
Although the smoke generated was not particularly toxic, Gilbert advised residents in a 3-4 kilometre radius to keep their windows shut.
“By 6:15 p.m., everything was back in order,” said the zone commander. “Thankfully, we had access to an industrial fire pump, allowing us to battle the fires effectively and ensure they did not reach the adjacent hall filled with pellets.”
