Since the beginning of the afternoon, this Wednesday, November 13, around fifty firefighters have been fighting against the flames on a site of the southern Burgundy agricultural cooperative. The extinguishing operations will last until Thursday.
Press release from the prefect of Côte-d’Or of November 13, 2024:
This afternoon, a fire broke out in a grain dryer containing around 60 tonnes of sunflower seeds and located on the site of the Bourgogne Sud cooperative in Beaune. Benoît Byrski, sub-prefect of the Beaune district, visited the site.
The Côte-d’Or Departmental Fire and Rescue Service (SDIS 21) has been mobilized since 2:22 p.m. with the commitment of 56 firefighters and 30 engines to contain the fire. They are supported by police officers from the Beaune district, gendarmes from the Beaune brigade and the city’s municipal police. A security perimeter has been set up by the police but no rehousing is necessary. Extinguishing operations will last until at least tomorrow. The traffic diversions temporarily put in place were lifted at the start of the evening.
The Bourgogne Sud cooperative which stores cereals in silos, phytosanitary products and fertilizers in a covered building is subject to prefectural authorization and is classified Seveso* low threshold due to the quantity of phytosanitary products likely to be present.
However, the fire does not involve any dangerous materials and no impact is feared on the plant protection product storage building or on the fertilizers given their distance. As a result, the fumes generated do not present any specific toxicity. There is no risk of pollution of the water table, the firefighting water being confined to the site.
The Seveso directive requires Member States of the European Union to identify industrial sites at risk in order to maintain a high level of prevention. Seveso sites produce or store substances that can be dangerous for humans and the environment. They are subject to very strict regulations which aim to identify and prevent the risks of accidents to limit their impact.
A silo on fire, with 60 tonnes of sunflowers, in Beaune
Photography SDIS 21
Belgium
