Hydrogen Explosion
Four people were injured, three of them critically, in a hydrogen explosion at the Elkem Silicones site in Saint-Fons, south of Lyon, on December 22nd. The blast occurred in an experimental workshop at the silicone materials production facility, a high-threshold Seveso-classified site (an industrial sites handling dangerous substances above specific thresholds). The explosion ignited a fire in a 600-square-metre building, which was brought under control by early evening. Around 100 firefighters and 30 emergency vehicles were deployed to tackle the incident, authorities issued a shelter indoors notice, affecting over 100,000 people, and a 1-kilometre security perimeter was established around the facility. The plant has experienced previous incidents, in June 2016, a worker was killed when silicone drums caught fire in a 2,500-square-metre warehouse, with 600 square metres of the building destroyed.