What is known about large fire at recycling centre in Paris
Residents nearby are being urged to remain cautious over inhaling smoke
The fire burned until midnight in the north-west of the capital
Credit: Abaca Press / Alamy Stock Photo
Residents in north-west Paris are being urged to remain cautious over inhaling smoke after a major blaze at a recycling centre in the city.
The fire, which started at a waste processing centre in the 17th arrondissement – close to the Palais de Justice – began around 20:00 last night (April 7).
Flames quickly spread throughout the facility, with a strong plume of smoke rising in the area and spreading across the city’s sky due to fairly strong evening winds.
The blaze was put out around midnight, however around 200 firefighters remain at the scene to ensure the flames do not start again and there is no structural damage to nearby buildings.
Firefighters say the flames have not touched any neighbouring buildings so this is unlikely.
No injuries have been recorded, but the recycling centre is badly damaged.
“We used 45 fire engines and 180 military personnel and we had eight active hoses,” said Parisian police prefecture Laurent Nuñez.
Cause of fire unknown, residents warned about smoke
“The fire probably started in an area where newspapers and papers were stored,” said mayor of the 17th arrondissement Geoffroy Boulard to French media outlet BFMTV.
“This morning, there are still major nuisances in the neighbourhood,” he added.
The Police prefecture initially closed traffic to the area and recommended those nearby to keep their windows closed to prevent inhalation of toxic fumes.
However, subsequent air measurement readings from AirParif, the capital’s pollution watchdog, have shown that air quality in the city has not been affected and that air samples had toxicity readings below the maximum levels.
That said, people are still being urged to be cautious, and anyone who has difficulty breathing – particularly between Avenue de Clichy, Rue de Saussure and Rue Cardinet – should call 18 if they have breathing difficulties.
Recycling fires ‘frequent’
The processing centre belonged to Syctom, which provides recycling services to several communes in and around the capital.
It has five such centres in the Paris area, catering to around 900,000 residents.
“Fire outbreaks [of this kind] are very frequent,” in the recycling centres, said president of the company Corentin Duprey.
“We have hundreds of these incidents every year,” he added.
