One person was seriously injured and seven others were injured in “relative emergency” after “several explosions” of unknown origin which occurred on Wednesday at the Eurenco blowing site in Bergerac (Dordogne), classified Seveso “high threshold”. “Several explosions took place at the beginning of the afternoon on the site of the Eurenco powder factory”, a factory located east of Bergerac and classified “Seveso high threshold”, indicated the prefecture of the Dordogne in a communicated.
#Security | Explosions at the EURENCO site in #Bergerac.
A fire is in progress at the site.
Emergency services are on site, please avoid the area.
The departmental operational center has been activated in the prefecture, more information to come.— Prefect of the Dordogne (@Prefet24) August 3, 2022
The origin of the explosions still undetermined
The explosions, whose origin is undetermined at the end of the afternoon, occurred in “one of the storage buildings, which caused a fire”, a fire now “limited” and which “does not progress”, she clarified. The prefecture immediately reassured the population by indicating that “at this stage, the incident has no impact outside the site”.
The “secure” assessment of the prefecture counts “8 injured, including 1 person in absolute emergency (1 seriously injured) and 7 in relative emergencies”, evacuated to the various hospitals in the region. The White plan was activated “in order to facilitate the care of the victims”. Forty people were then on site and all staff were evacuated.
“No risk of spread”, assures the sub-prefect
According to the DVD mayor of Bergerac Jonathan Prioleaud joined by AFP, the explosions sounded in a building of the company Manuco (Eurenco group), which produces nitrocellulose for ammunition. The city councilor present on the spot indicated seeing a time of “smoke”. “There is no longer any risk of spread”, underlined the sub-prefect Jean-Charles Jobard during a press point, specifying that the perimeter of the factory is “not inhabited”.
The origin of the explosions, “it is obviously internal but it will take an administrative investigation to be able to determine the causes of this incident”, he declared. According to him, the incident took place in a building which contained “less than two tons of nitrocellulose”.
A security perimeter established around the site
A security perimeter has been established around the site and significant resources deployed with the presence of 61 firefighters and around thirty vehicles, 20 police officers and two Samu helicopters. At the end of the afternoon, there remained in front of the gates of the site only a truck and two fire engines. Employees, uninjured and gathered on the forecourt of a building, had been taken care of by the Red Cross before leaving the scene.
The entire boulevard leading to the site, located less than four kilometers from downtown Bergerac, was cordoned off by the police and prohibited to traffic. No smoke was visible around the site, completely emptied of its employees, whose gates were fully open to allow the passage of emergency vehicles. The Manuco company was acquired in 2021 by Eurenco, the European leader in the field of powders and explosives according to their website.
“We are monitoring the situation closely”
In the National Assembly, the government expressed on Wednesday its “solidarity with the victims and their relatives”, through the voice of the Minister Delegate for Industry Roland Lescure
Significant resources are deployed following the fire that occurred after an explosion in a factory in Bergerac. At my request, the prefect activated his crisis center. 7 injured are taken care of. With @ChristopheBechu, we are monitoring the situation closely. https://t.co/QeQaYgGI1p
— Gérald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) August 3, 2022
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin reacted on Twitter shortly after the accident. “Significant resources are deployed following the fire,” said the minister, who “asked” the prefect of the Dordogne to activate the crisis center. “With Christophe Béchu (the Minister of Ecological Transition), we are monitoring the situation closely,” added Gérald Darmanin.