A serious fire erupted late Sunday morning at the premises of Safe, a company located in the Gandrange industrial area, France. Emergency services responded in force, with nearly 80 firefighters and 58 vehicles mobilised to tackle the blaze. The exact cause of the incident remains unknown at this time.
According to Moselle’s prefecture, the fire is affecting a 500-square-metre warehouse belonging to Safe, which is classified as a lower-tier Seveso site, a designation for locations storing hazardous substances. As a precaution, authorities have instructed residents of Gandrange, Amnéville, Vitry-sur-Orne, Clouange, and Rombas to stay indoors until further notice, while emergency and security teams work at the scene.
Around midday, Gandrange mayor Quentin Bigot confirmed in a statement that chemicals were present in the warehouse currently on fire, urging everyone to observe safety instructions strictly.
The major added that there is some reassuring news at this stage as the fire is currently contained by firefighters, who remain on site to continue their intervention. The sub-prefect of Thionville is also present at the scene alongside local elected officials and emergency services.
A dense plume of black smoke could be seen from several dozen kilometres away, with the cloud visible in multiple towns from Metz to Thionville, including Gandrange, Amnéville, Maizières-lès-Metz, Hagondange, and Rombas. Local resident Fatine tells RTL that she is in Maizières-lès-Metz and can see the thick smoke from her window, emphasising that she has barricaded everything.
Since the fire broke out, social media users have been sharing images and videos of the massive smoke cloud hanging over Gandrange, Amnéville, Maizières-lès-Metz, and Rombas. At this stage, there are no reports of casualties. Emergency operations are ongoing.
