An explosion took place on Wednesday in a powder snow in Bergerac, causing at least one serious injury and seven injuries “in relative emergency”, announced the town hall. A fire is in progress on the site and the town hall asks to avoid the sector to facilitate the work of the emergency services.
Five ambulances arrived on the spot, two helicopters and about fifty firefighters. The white plan was launched at Bergerac hospital.
Classified Seveso high threshold
The explosion, whose origin is undetermined, took place in a building of the Manuco company, which produces nitrocellulose for ammunition and is classified Seveso “high threshold” for fire and toxic risk. The fire would have started around 2 p.m., in the aftermath of the explosion. According to the sub-prefect Jean-Charles Jobard, the explosion took place in a building which contained “less than two tons of nitrocellulose”. Forty people were present at the scene.
Interviewed by France Info, the Dordogne prefecture said the risk of spread is low because “once the nitrocellulose has exploded, nothing more happens”. A fire took place two years ago in this same factory, causing one injury, recalls FranceBleu.