Fire blazes at chemical plant in France, schools closed

PARIS (AP/AFP) - Firefighters are battling a blaze at a chemical plant in western France, and the authorities have closed schools in 11 surrounding towns and asked residents to stay indoors.

The administration for the Seine-Maritime region urged people to avoid non-essential travel in the area after the fire alarm rang at the Lubrizol plant in Rouen early on Thursday (Sept 26). The Interior Ministry tweeted that schools and nurseries in the area have been closed, and residents in nursing homes are being confined.

Two hundred firefighters and 60 fire vehicles were battling the blaze which broke out early on Thursday at a storage facility owned by a manufacturer of industrial lubricants and fuel additives.

Images aired by BFM television show a mass of black smoke and bursts of orange flames above the plant. Sirens sounded over and over.

The authorities are investigating the cause of the fire.

"Let's not panic about this situation, but we need to be very careful," Interior Minister Christophe Castaner told RTL radio, adding that "there is nothing to make us believe there is a risk from the smoke".

The factory on the edge of the river Seine in Rouen belongs to US multinational Lubrizol, which is owned by billionaire American investor Warren Buffett.

The plant produces additives for lubricants and paint, according to Lubrizol's website. The company did not comment.

In January 2013, it was responsible for a giant leak of the gas mercaptan, which smells like cabbage or rotten eggs.

It blew all the way to Paris and across the Channel into southern England where residents complained about the odour.

In 2015, 2,000 litres of mineral oil, which is used in lubricants, leaked into the local sewer system in Rouen, which is famed for its cathedral.