A fire broke out at Poppies-Bakeries SA in the Walloon municipality of Comines early Wednesday afternoon. The fire started in a waffle oven.
The Walloon Picardy emergency services were alerted early Wednesday afternoon, at 12:40, that a fire had broken out at the Poppies-Bakeries company located on Rue des Rubaniers in Comines. Two fire engines, a ladder truck, and a command vehicle were dispatched to the scene from the Warneton and Wervick fire stations in Flanders.
"When we arrived on site, flames and a large column of smoke were coming out of the building. From the start of the fire, a unit of the company's workers had begun to tackle the blaze," explained Captain Jimmy Lahousse, who led the response, at 14:00.
"The fire started in a waffle oven, then spread up the chimney flues. The fire itself was quickly brought under control. The firefighters then proceeded to dismantle the roof to contain the fire in the roof insulation," the officer added.
During the emergency services' response, the factory did not have to be evacuated. Production was able to resume at 14:30.
Specialising in the manufacture of biscuits, rusks, and long-life pastries, Poppies-Bakeries SA was founded in 1994 in Comines. It employs between 100 and 199 people, depending on the manufacturing season.
