On Friday morning, the Grand Ducal Fire and Rescue Corps reported on their social networks that the fire had been completely extinguished.
The piles of wood had been separated by heavy duty machinery in order to allow fire fighters access.
There are still teams onsite this morning in charge of clean up work, and a small team will remain on the site to monitor the situation until the woodchips have completely cooled down.
CGDIS also shared that the fire services had been able to prevent the spread of the fire to nearby buildings and technical installations on the site, and that no one had been injured in the process.
The directors of CGDIS thanked all fire fighters involved, both full time and voluntary, for their hard work over the last 48 hours.
Thursday morning's update said that the fire was under control, but work is still ongoing without a definitive endpoint. Fire services are prepared to spend the rest of the day extinguishing the fire, with around 50 firefighters currently on site. They will be replaced by other units on a rolling basis. Vehicles are still travelling to and from the site to provide sufficient water, supported by a private business. Fire fighters are expected to use special tools today to help separate the piles of wood on site.
IMPORTANT: motorists in the area are advised that the fire services will be in constant circulation in order to refuel - it is therefore imperative to make way for any emergency vehicles in the surrounding area.
According to CGDIS, it could take several days to completely extinguish the fire, given the mass of the flammable material and the location.
The fire was ignited by wood chips and was followed by a large amount of smoke.
The CGDIS announced that the fire is of large scale and demanded space for intervention. The police warned about significant smoke coming from the fire , requesting inhabitants of the surrounding areas to keep windows and doors closed.
Shortly after 1pm, the commune of Sanem informed its residents that the fire is now under control and there is no further risk for the residents. However, CGDIS information has contradicted that statement and the emergency services have said that residents should continue to keep windows and doors closed.
Upon enquiry, the emergency services confirmed that extinguishing work will continue for several hours. They have requested further back-up and means to transport additional water. The firefighters onsite were experiencing difficulties with water, requiring fire engines to go between the industrial zone and the Sanem-Differdange fire brigade.
Early on Wednesday evening, the Grand Ducal Fire and Rescue Corps made the decision to send in further reinforcements, with approximately 120 firefighters on call to battle the blaze by the late afternoon. Other fire brigades from the rest of the country, such as Contern and Schengen, have brought in their own fire engines to help the southern fire brigades. In the meantime, the fire spread to a silo belonging to the firm. The silo fire has since been extinguished.
An official press release revealed that the situation was made considerably complicated by the quantity of combustible material onsite, alongside the wind. This is why the fire brigades required so much water, as the situation is a complex one.
By 7pm, the emergency services decided to organise a coordinated and sustained attack, using foam. The authorities also mobilised other firefighters, including French fire brigades from the Meurthe et Moselle area. In total, around 240 firefighters have been tackling the blaze.
Around 60 fire fighters were working throughout the night to control the flames, before new teams relieved them at 8am this morning.
