A fire broke out in the Fontenoy sugar factory near Tournai during the night from Monday to Tuesday. The blaze started in a silo containing lime. Extinguishing it is a delicate process and is still ongoing.
Emergency services were alerted around 2:50 am on Tuesday. Two fire engines, two water tankers, a ladder truck, and a command vehicle were dispatched from the Tournai and Blaton stations.
"The fire ignited in a silo containing between 6 and 8 cubic metres of lime. We can’t use water to extinguish it, which makes it a lengthy process," explained Captain Johan Fastrez, who is leading the operation.
"We have to remove small quantities of lime with shovels and then extinguish them using a special powder. The lime is then placed in a bulldozer’s bucket and evacuated. The operation is ongoing and will take another two hours," he added around 6:30 am.
The intervention involved about twenty firefighters. No injuries among the staff have been reported. The sugar factory’s operations continue as normal despite the incident.
