Precautionary measures taken after French factory fire
Following the huge fire at the Lubrizol factory in Rouen, Normandy, the prefecture has issued several recommendations despite the blaze being stopped yesterday evening.
It advises:
Schools remain closed today but are expected to reopen next Monday, September 30.
Residents should wash all fruit and vegetables carefully before eating them.
Farmers should take all their animals inside, and not pick any fruit or vegetable.
Residents who have gardens and grow their own fruit and vegetables are also advised not to consume them.
This morning, 120 firefighters were still on the factory site. The Lubrizol factory produces toxic chemicals for industrial paintings, oils and fuels, and will now have to be subject to a large scale cleaning process.
The préfet of Seine-Maritime, Pierre-André Durand, has confirmed that there is ‘no acute toxicity’ and no radioactivity spread by the fire and the smoke.
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Nobody has been injured.
However, the smell of pollution remains strong in the city and surrounding communes.
The prefectures of Somme and the Aisne, the two neighbour departments, have stated that: “Carried by prevailing winds, strong smelling fumes are spreading through the area but there is no risk for the population.”
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Yesterday, pharmacies in Rouen had run out of stock of protective face masks as residents rushed to buy them, the newspaper Paris-Normandie reported.
It has still not been confirmed what caused the fire.
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